


What The World Needs Now Is Love  - An Aaron Hotchner Story

by Abixx7



Series: What The World Needs Now Is Love [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Action & Romance, Crime Fighting, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Girl Power, Original Character(s), POV First Person, POV Original Character, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-13 23:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 82,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9145981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abixx7/pseuds/Abixx7
Summary: Dr. Lizanne Harmon looks to have a pretty charmed life - she has a secure job as a gynecologist, a home with two beautiful girls and has no immediate health concerns, because apparently having intense gardening competitions with the neighbors doesn't actually run in the family. But when a shocking discovery drags Lizzy into the world of the BAU and onto the trail of a serial killer, she is forced to hug her family a little tighter and re-evaluate her relationships with her friends and colleagues. And can love really bloom when you're looking over your shoulder for the eyes of a murderer - even if that love is in the form of Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner?





	1. Praefatio

This is just a little bit of background information for the curious among you:  
\- I'll be updating this story every Sunday at around 11am GMT  
\- Roughly, this story takes place at the beginning of Series 6 - basically it is post-Hayley's death  
\- In this world, Beth never came into the picture  
\- This story will contain swearing  
\- I don't own Criminal Minds, nor do I own Hotch, Reid, Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, JJ, Garcia or Jack, Hotch's son. The rest of the characters, however, are my own.  
\- And yes, the chapter titles are in Latin, for reasons that will become clear as the story progresses  
\- You check out the Spotify playlist that I created for this story which features songs which describe Lizzy, songs that she likes, songs that she sings to on the radio and also songs for possible sequels starring Lizzy (open.spotify.com/user/abicxx/pla...)  
\- Enjoy!


	2. Unum

I killed the engine, and listened to the sound of Beyoncé's 'Love on Top' slowly fade away, leaving me in silence. My nails were tapping against the stiff fabric of my black pencil dress. I don't know why I was so nervous; I hadn't done anything. I definitely knew that. And the FBI knew that too. They didn't want to question me on my behavior. They wanted to ask me some questions regarding a patient of mine, Sara Barkley. They had asked for my co-operation - even though I had no idea what she was involved in - and for some reason I felt as though they'd asked for my wrists to clamp the hand-cuffs on.

Checking the watch at my wrist, and seeing I had five minutes before my scheduled appointment at 12:30, I reasoned that I needed to actually leave my car if I wanted a chance of being on time. And being late to an appointment with some federal agents was not something that I desperately wanted to achieve.

The Quantico FBI building looked, from the outside, like an ordinarily large apartment block. But once I was inside, it was clear that it was anything but ordinary. I just needed to look at the flurry of people hurrying around carrying files and folders, and the very official looking badges plastered along the walls to know this. The lobby was painted a dull grey colour, with every surface polished to a gleam, and the insistent chatter of low, focused voices filled my ears.

I weaved through the constant stream of people who were circling the foyer and approached a desk, where a smiley redhead was sat, and bit my lip. 'I'm hear to see the BAU. And I have an appointment with Agent Jareau.' I said, noticing the hint of anxiety in my voice.

'Just give me a minute.' The woman said, her accent being very non-Virginian and more Baltimorese. She looked over at her computer screen, before nodding at me. 'Right, they're expecting you. The BAU is the sixth floor.'

'Thanks,' I said, wandering over to a near-by sign prompting elevators. The ride up was simple, but my heart was still jittering. 'Pull it together, Lizzy' I told myself harshly. I didn't want to embarrass myself and ideally, I wanted to make a good impression.

I heaved open the pair of heavy glass doors, that led to the Behavioral Analysis Unit, which was a swarm of desks and computers and movement. I noticed a blonde woman walking past me and seeing as I had no idea where to go from here, I figured I'd need some assistance.

'Excuse me, I'm looking for Agent Jareau.' I said, hitching my handbag strap further up my arm. She reminded me of a older version of Lola - they had the same blonde hair and oval face shape.

'That's me actually,' she said with a smile, reaching out her hand for me to shake. 'And you can call me JJ. Are you Dr. Harmon?'

'Yes, I am.'

'If you could just follow me, I'll take you to Agent Hotchner. He's in charge here.'

I followed JJ up a flight of stairs leading to a series of private offices, all with the same intimidating set of grey blinds. We reached the end of a corridor and I entered a large room with a table set in the middle, and two men sat talking.

'Hotch, this is Dr. Lizanne Harmon. You asked for her.' The two men both stood and the man who I assumed was Hotch stepped forward.

'Yes, thank you, JJ.' He turned to me. 'I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner. Thank you for agreeing to answer some of our questions.' I nodded and managed a smile through the nerves that were fizzing my stomach. He had a very firm handshake. Why was I making notes on his handshake?

'And I'm Agent David Rossi. It's nice to meet you.' Agent Rossi, a slightly older Italian man, stepped forward to shake my hand. 'Please, have a seat.'

As I sat down, wrapping the beige scarf further around my shoulders, Agent Hotchner spoke, 'Where are the others? They've been gone for at least ten minutes.' He didn't say it harshly, rather that he was amused to their location. JJ looked from him to Agent Rossi and shrugged.

'I - I don't know. I'll go and find them.'

'Thanks JJ.' I was now intrigued - what was Sara involved with that warranted a whole team of FBI agents present?

Agent Rossi placed a few sheets of paper in front of me and handed me a pen. 'If you don't mind Dr. Harmon filling in some of these details, they'll be needed in case you ever enter witness protection.' I took the pen hesitantly. Now I was really intrigued - why would I need to enter witness protection just for talking about her?

Agent Rossi must have noticed my expression. 'It's just protocol,' he explained, and I nodded, beginning to fill in the boxes with my name, age, address, occupation and immediate family.

A bubble of chatter suddenly entered the room and I looked up to see three agents following JJ: one was a woman whose fringe I desperately wanted to pull off, but knew I never could. Another was a man who, if my sister were here, I knew would have made a comment about the clashing colours of his tie and waistcoat. And the third was a man wearing dark sunglasses indoors. He probably thought he looked cool. I just thought he was straining his eyes. They were also all holding cups of coffee. A vile substance that should be eradicated from the Earth. Just saying...

'Where were you?' Agent Hotchner asked, pulling up a chair across from me. I continued to fill in the boxes, feeling as though this was a personal matter and that I almost shouldn't be listening.

'Coffee break,' the man with the contrasting tie and waistcoat replied. 'Emily couldn't decide whether she wanted a Frappuccino or an Americano. And then Morgan got chatting to this girl.'

'Did he now?' JJ said, a smile grazing her lips and the woman with the bangs nudged the man with the sunglasses with her elbow, shooting him a wink. Agent Hotchner just shook his head, smirked, and looked down at his notepad.

'Well, this is Dr. Harmon.' Agent Rossi said and I looked up as all three agents attention was suddenly directed on me. 'Dr, this is Agents Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan and Dr. Spencer Reid.' He explained, gesturing to the woman with the bangs, then the man with the sunglasses and then the man with the tie and waistcoat. They all nodded their heads at me and I managed a polite smile. 'And you've already met Agent Jennifer Jareau.' JJ was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed and she gave me a smile.

'So you were Sara Barkley's gynecologist, is that right?' Agent Reid asked, sitting down next to Agent Hotchner who nabbed the pen that had been laying in front of him and removed the lid. Agent Reid squinted his eyes in confusion as he removed another pen from his top pocket, and Agent Hotchner just smiled slightly.

I nodded. 'She's been a patient of mine for the last six months.' I was dying to ask them what Sara was involved with and knew that if I didn't put my foot down, I might not ever get an answer.

'What is she involved with, exactly?' I said, not quite sure how to ask without appearing rude. 'And why do you need my help?' A look passed between all the agents.

'Sara Barkley was attacked with a knife a block away from Woodside University two nights ago,' Agent Hotchner said, referring to a very small, private university in Quantico. I couldn't believe it, but I was just glad she was okay. He hadn't said killed. I noticed Agent Hotchner meeting eyes with Agent Rossi, but I couldn't read his eyes.

'When did you first meet Sara?' Agent Prentiss suddenly asked, leaning forward and drawing my eyes back to her.

'It would have been the 28th of February,' I said, recalling that the first day I met Sara, the waiting room was being re-furbished and there was a heated argument in the department on whether to paint the walls mauve or teal. 'She didn't give her hometown or last place of address or an occupation, only that she was currently living in an apartment on Adams Street. But I think she moved here from Michigan. Quite recently, too.'

'How can you be sure?' Agent Morgan asked, removing his sunglasses for the first time. At last I could make eye contact, the very basis of human communication.

'I'm pretty good at knowing accents.' I say, 'It's like my party trick.' I had no idea why I'd just told them my idea of a party trick was pointing at a man and saying, 'you're from North Dakota' but I had and it was.

'Is there anything you can say about her behavior? Any ticks, points of interest?' Agent Hotchner asked. I hadn't seen Sara for a month, and considering I saw about 200 patients a month, recalling her specific behavior was slightly challenging. But not impossible.

'She was very confident and full of energy.' I say. 'Maybe slightly arrogant. No, not really arrogant, that's the wrong word. Slightly full of herself. She was always very nice to me but she treated a few of the other hospital staff quite badly.'

'How so?'

'She'd talk down to the janitors or the receptionists - I saw her shouting at another patient for bumping into her once - that particular patient was 5 months pregnant at the time.' I noticed JJ raise her eyes at this and I immediately started to question whether she had children herself.

'What was her health like? Did she have any specific problems?' Agent Reid asked, and I instantly put my professional front up.

'I can't say. I have to have patient confidentially. Even with federal agents.' I said. Agent Reid nodded, and looked over at his fellow agents. I wasn't about to go against my entire work ethic. I didn't care who they were - I was telling them anything about Sara Barkley's medical needs. And it wasn't my place to tell them that I'd recently diagnosed her with the early stages of breast cancer.

The silence hung in the air like cobwebs and I shifted in my seat, re-crossing my legs over and adjusting my scarf around my shoulders. I could feel the eyes of the other agents on me and I bit my lip. Were they profiling my silence and running away with it? Were they predicting every single scenario that this silence could mean?

'Are you optimistic?' Agent Hotchner asked softly and I nodded firmly. I wasn't sure whether this was in direct connection to Sara Barkley or not, but either way it applied. And I wasn't telling them anything about Sara Barkley whichever way you looked at it.

'I'm always optimistic. I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I told all my patients there's very little chance of them recovering and they'll likely be dead in the week.'

'Has anyone ever actually died within that period?' Agent Reid suddenly asked, and Agent Prentiss just stared at him.

'Three people actually.' I said, not quite sure why he was asking me this, 'All last year.' Suddenly, my dress pocket began vibrating and the quiet voice of Wilson Pickett began to fill the room. I had a very eclectic music taste, and my brother could do a brilliant rendition of Mustang Sally.

'I'm so sorry about this,' I say hurriedly, feeling myself blushing slightly. The agents didn't seem to mind too much as they began talking among themselves and as I saw the caller ID, I rolled my eyes. 'What's up, Kelly? I'm busy at the moment.'

Through the phone, I could hear a low rumble of noise and I could just imagine Kelly sitting at her spot behind the receptionist's desk, snacking on pretzels and the phone in her hand. She was an efficient worker, but not exactly orthodox.

'I know, I know, you've your big, important meeting with the secretary of state of whatever - ' she said, her familiar sarcastic nature coming through, 'but Mary Collins canceled her 1:30pm appointment. Her sister or her niece or whoever has gone into labour. That means you're free until 2.' Taking a glance at my watch, I actually sighed with relief because there was no way that I would have been able to finish with the FBI without sounding like a total jerk and make it back to the hospital in 30 minutes.

'Okay, thanks Kelly. I'll be back soon.' I stole a glance up, and the agents were comparing notes on their own respective notepads, with Agent Reid drawing circles around what seemed like the entire page.

'Have fun!' I slipped my phone back into pocket and regained some of my composure. I could always trust Kelly to push me into a situation that I would rather not be in.

'I'm so sorry about that.' I said, pushing some hair behind my ear. 'It was a - a work call.'

'I's alright. I think we're actually all done here.' Agent Prentiss said, standing up. 'That answers all of our questions for now.'

'Oh, great.' I said, standing up and looping my bag over my shoulder. 'I'm just glad I could help.'

'Thank you, again, for coming in.' Agent Hotchner said, shaking my hand again, and nodding in my direction. He really did have a firm hand shake. I guess it came with the territory.

'Actually, there is one more thing.' Agent Reid said, as I was handing Agent Rossi my personal details. 'Could we have a list of all your current patients? We can't get a list ourselves because there are certain laws that we have to follow as it is a hospital. We can't hack our way in this time.'

'We think the attacker might try something like this again and we want to know how he might pick his next target.' Agent Morgan clarified.

'We ask you nicely first and then ask for a warrant.' Agent Reid blurted out.

I nodded. Something else I had to add to the to-do list. 'Of course. I'll have it done by tomorrow lunchtime?' Did the FBI operate with super efficiency? Did they need everything done within the hour?

'That would be very helpful. Thank you.' Agent Rossi said, shaking my hand again.

'It was nice to meet you all.' I said, adjusting my scarf around my shoulders.

'If you think of anything extra regarding Sara, please feel free to call.' Agent Hotchner said, passing me a small card with his name and phone number on. I nodded and tucked it into my purse.

I wasn't about to go asking the FBI for every detail of the case because there would probably be a clause in some contract that could get me fined. But that didn't stop me feeling curious as to what Sara Barkley was involved in to cause an attack on her life.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Beyoncé - Love On Top  
Wilson Pickett - Mustang Sally


	3. Duo

I pulled up the master list of every patient who was still currently on my appointment list - all 690 of them. I saw all of them on a regular 3 month, 6 month or 1 year basis so while this number seemed inordinately large, I somehow managed to see them all at their scheduled appointment time. It was early in the morning of the next day and before my first patient of the day arrived and I was run off my feet until lunch, I wanted to complete the list of names that the BAU had requested. And lucky for them, I was even going to alphabetize it for them.

Kelly was sat on one of the chairs that was positioned next to my desk that were reserved for patients, her leather look legging clad legs dangling off the back of the other chair, her phone in one hand and a piece of banana bread in the other. Her dark hair was combed into a smooth wave down her back and I noticed that her nails were painted a bright purple colour, totally free from chips and breaks. She was technically needed at the receptionists desk from the moment she arrived, in case any patients called to cancel or change an appointment, but Kelly had managed to find a way to have those calls directly sent to her mobile. I just about managed to use my office computer, and had no idea how she managed any of it.

As I copied the first batch of names onto a clean document, ready for me to alphabetize, Kelly dug her nails into her slice of banana bread and removed what looked like half a walnut. A look of disgust grazing her face, she threw the walnut into the trash can that lay at the opposite end of my office.

'Walnuts -' she said, as though the word itself was the source of all evil, 'You can fuck off out of my banana bread.'

'Why did you buy it if you don't like walnuts?' I asked incredulously, sorting through the Abbotts and Adams and Addisons.

'It was either this or a pecan loaf, and that sounds like something peasants were forced to make in the middle ages when their potato crop failed.' I shot her a look, my eyebrow raised, and she just shrugged, taking a bite out of her now free from walnuts banana bread.

'News time, then - ' she said, kicking her legs off the other chair and turning round to fully face me. 'Because you don't get out much and find documentaries actually interesting, so I need to drag you back to reality...' I raised my eyebrow again, and turned back to my computer screen. Kelly let out a breath.

'Well, that's rude.' She said, but I knew there was a smile on her face. 'Anyway, first of all, the little bugger that is Reggie destroyed my Moroccan-style cushion this morning. The one with the fringing. The one you got me as a present.' She stuck her lip out and sniffed.

I let a smirk graze my face, but then took in Kelly's sad expression, and patted her on the shoulder. 'I'll buy you a new one.' I promised.

'You'd better. I loved that cushion.' Reggie was Kelly's new puppy. I'd never known her to be an animal lover, but she'd recently rescued the sheprador from a local animal shelter. As it turns out, he wasn't exactly house trained.

'Secondly, Todd and Leah from Endoscopy are dating.'

'Really?' I shrieked, a smile bursting out. I was a real hopeless romantic at heart, so any news of inter-hospital relationships always made me smile.

'Yep. They kissed at the fundraiser last week and this morning they came into work holding hands.'

'What fundraiser?' I asked, confused. I hadn't been to any fundraisers recently.

'The one with the awful booze and awful music where I had an awful time because no one would dance with me because they thought I was drunk. I'd only had three glasses.' I looked over at her, remembering the conversation I had with her last Friday. She sighed dramatically. 'I wasn't drunk! You can tell when I'm drunk. Four drinks in and I start using fuck like a comma. This was my third.'

'I'm sorry. I would have come, honestly. But I finish early on Thursdays and they're the only day, apart from the weekend, where I get to actually have dinner with my kids.'

'I know. I know. And they're adorable.' Kelly pointed to the photo that always sat on my desk where Lexi was still semi-bald and Lola had knocked her front tooth out when she fell over in the playground.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door leading to my office. 'Come in!' Kelly shouted and I pouted.

'It's my office, back off - ' I teased.

A young man entered the room carrying a pile of large brown envelopes. He had a bag swung over his shoulder and looked very red in the face.

'This is for the Gynecology department but there's no one at the main desk so - ' Kelly grabbed the envelope out of the man's hands and flashed him her badge that was clipped to her fuchsia blouse, showing that she in fact worked on the main desk. I noticed he was deliberately trying not to make eye contact with her.

'Thank you - ' I called as the man, who now looked both dazed and confused, left the room. He must have been one of the many people whose job it was to deliver the many letters to all the various departments in the hospital.

'That's Zeke.' Kelly explained, tearing open the envelope as I went back to my list. 'He thinks I don't know his name but I do. He also thinks that I have short term amnesia and forget everything that I experience during a 24 hour period.'

'What?'

'He gets easily confused.' She explained with a smirk. This left me very curious, and slightly scared, as to what their prior meetings had been like.

'What's it about?' I asked, as I moved onto all my patients whose surnames began with C, D and E.

'Sara Barkley.' My head shot up.

'She's one of my patients.' I said, curiously.

'I know. Well, was. She's dead.'

'Dead?' I exclaimed, pushing away from my desk. 'I was with the FBI yesterday answering some questions about her.'

'Not the secretary of state then...' Kelly mumbled under her breath.

'And they told me she'd been attacked with a knife. They never mentioned the word dead.' Kelly looked confused and was quickly skim-reading the document in front of her. My heart was racing. How could they not tell me that she was dead?

'This is her report from the coroner. He wrists were slit, she was stabbed in the heart, stabbed twice in the stomach and stabbed in the face too.' That wasn't just attacked. That was brutally murdered.

'Dear God,' I murmured, clutching at the gold chain around my neck. I couldn't believe it. It wasn't sinking in.

'Why wouldn't the FBI mention this?' Kelly choked angrily, pushing the document in my direction, 'We have a right to know if one of our patients has been murdered.'

'I don't know,' I breathed, my anger quietly bubbling. Sara might have been slightly full of herself but I still felt connected to her. I was the person who had told her she had breast cancer. It was this room that she'd spent twenty minutes crying in, while I tried to console her.

'I honestly don't know.' I spat. 'But I'm going back there later, so I'm bloody well going to ask them what they were thinking.'

'We're members of the medical profession. Well, you are - ' Kelly said, standing up and taking the coroners report from my desk. 'How could they keep this from you?' I just shrugged. I didn't have any words for any of it.

'You go and tell them what you think. You get scary when you're angry - ' I rolled my eyes and felt a small smile brush my lips.

'Oh really - ' I lowered my voice into a mock-aggressive tone.

'Yeah. You know you love me!' Kelly said in a sing-song voice, as she opened the door leading out of my office. and into the corridor that was already bustling with patients and doctors and relatives and noise.

'Yeah, I do!' I noted that my voice wasn't as light as it normally would have been.

'Your first appointment is at 9, by the way.' I looked up at the clock hanging over my desk that read 8:37am. 23 minutes to finish alphabetizing my 690 patients, while my mind was thinking about a murdered patient and the only thing I could see or focus on was her face. Great.

'Thank you - ' I was quietly seething. I just couldn't find any explanation for the BAU not to tell me that a woman, who had been one of my patients, was dead.

I realised now that the look they had all shared, the one that I hadn't been able to read, was because they had known the truth. That she hadn't just been attacked. That she was dead. And that was why Emily had jumped in with the question so quickly, to keep me from reading too deeply into the situation.  

Well unluckily for them their alphabetized list wouldn't be the only thing I brought with me when I returned to the BAU.


	4. Tribus

I hurried into the BAU, letting out a breath and tucking my now damp umbrella into my bag. Yesterday, it had been pleasantly warm but today a chill had settled in the air, prompting the thick camel coat I was now wearing. And while I had no objections to the unpredictable fall weather - I was all too familiar with it really - I would have liked it if the heavens hadn't decided to open just as I was leaving my car, on the way to throw a bit of a hissy fit in front of some BAU members. But you couldn't have everything.

During the drive, I'd almost considered not mentioning the whole thing and seeing how long it would take them to tell me personally. But then I'd decided against that - I didn't have to be a professional all of the time. If BAU agents could swan off for a coffee break when there was a murder to solve, I could get a little brassed off about not being told a patient had been killed.

I bypassed the smiley woman from Baltimore at the desk in favour of the elevators, only to find a sign stuck to the front reading: 'OUT OF ORDER' and then an arrow pointing to my left, which I realised led to some stairs. 'Wow,' I thought, 'there's no expense spared at the FBI. Even the elevators have off days.'

As I began the climb, which was more treacherous than I expected considering an almost constant stream of people were coming down them, I realised I was going to have to climb six flights of stairs to reach the BAU. Fabulous. It wasn't like I had to see a patient in an hour and check her breasts for irregularities. Nope. I had all day to climb stairs.

When I was beginning to ascend the second flight of stairs, I noted a pair of agents walking behind me - one of them was wearing reflective orange sunglasses and the other had a very prominent ear-piercing. They both carried folders labelled with the BAU logo. They seemed to be friendly as they were chatting with smirks on their faces, but I noticed - because every possible surface seemed to be covered in something reflective - that their eyes kept flitting between me and then looking back at the other person.

'What are you up to, sweetheart? Why are you here?' I didn't reply, hoping they would act much like bees. If you ignored them, they'd go away. But they quickened their pace to match mine so were now walking alongside me.

'Are you here for the secretary job?' Sunglasses asked. Piercing just laughed. 'Ever since Gina got knocked up and jumped ship, we've had to do our own paperwork.' he continued. Aww, poor you, being forced to do your own paperwork. I still didn't answer; I just kept walking. I felt glad that Gina didn't have to spend her days talking to these morons for at least nine months. And I would appreciate being called Lizzy or Lizanne or Dr. Harmon rather than sweetheart, which I assumed he called anyone who carried the female gene.

'I have an appointment with Agent Hotchner.' I said finally, hoping this would shut them up. I had gathered from JJ that he was a fairly high-ranking agent and I hoped that the mention of his name might scare them off a little.

'What would Hotch want with a pretty girl like you?' Piercing asked and my eyes rolled so far back I was afraid they'd actually fall out of my skull, even though I knew this was physically impossible. 'He's too much of a workaholic and a hard-ass to be able to treat any woman right.'

Oh. OH. This was what this was about, was it? These guys were just super horny. Aww, poor guys. Feeding their sexual frustrations by talking to a random woman they found on the stairs.

'I'm assisting in the Sara Barkley murder case.' I had reached the fourth flight of stairs and my calves were burning slightly, but I didn't want to slow down because that would mean talking to these idiots for longer than necessary. And I didn't want to go any faster because I didn't trust my slightly tired legs to be able to run up two flights of stairs in heels and a loose fitting skirt.

'I've not heard of that case.'

'Me neither,' These guys seemed to be getting off on making themselves sound stupid. Well, I could only assist them with that.

'You mustn't be good enough agents to be privy to that kind of information. Or rank high enough.' They both laughed. Yeah. Ha. Ha.

'Yes, I am nice. That doesn't mean you automatically get to sleep with me.' I spat. 'Do really plan on following me up these stairs until I get to the BAU because I really have somewhere to be.' The men seemed to ignore my comments and just smiled.

'Where, sweetheart? Have you got a hot date?' I wanted to punch piercing in his very shiny teeth because he made the word sweetheart seem like a death threat.

'No, I have to get back to work.'

'Where do you work?' I could see that they were begging me to say prostitute and I almost considered it, before realizing that would just bait them.

'I'm a doctor. A gynecologist.' I struck me that no matter which profession I said, prostitute or gynecologist, I was open for the blatant sex jokes that I knew were coming.

'Really?' the men chuckled. 'Are you great in bed then?' For starters, why did being a gynecologist mean I suddenly became a sex goddess? And why did it matter to them?

'Unfortunately for you, you'll never know.' I said sharply, as I reached the fifth floor and relaxed a little. One more floor to go and I could end this silly conversation and get back to doing my job.

'What's your name, sweetheart?' Piercing asked me and this time, I ignored his question.

'My name and my gender and my occupation have absolutely nothing to do with me assisting in a murder inquiry.' I said, harshly. 'And if you don't leave me alone, I'm going to stab you both in the brachial artery with my earring and you can bleed out all over the carpet.'

This comment seems to shock them as they finally stopped following me and I hurried up the last few remaining stairs that led to the BAU's pair of immensely heavy glass doors. I let out a breath and ran a hand through my hair, something I'd been told I did when I was stressed or embarrassed.

So now I was stressed, embarrassed and angry. Great. I looked down at my watch. 12:11. And now I was running late. Fabulous.

\- I love you guys, thanks for reading :)


	5. Quattour

I stormed into the room, where Spencer and David were both stood in front of a board and the rest of the team were sat at the table which was littered with scraps of paper and coffee cups. I slammed my alphabetized list of names down on the table, sending bits of paper scattering and forcing everyone to look up at me.

'Why didn't you tell me Sara Barkley was dead?' I spluttered, my hands on my hips, 'Did you think that I wouldn't care? That it was somehow unimportant?' Aaron stood from where he was sitting, replacing the pen in his jacket pocket.

'We couldn't release the details of the case to the public. There'd be mass panic.' He explained.

'I was her doctor. I have the right to know that she's dead!' How did they not understand this?

'If we released the details of every case to the public there'd be carnage.' David said. 'We make the call on an individual basis whether to release details and even then it is a carefully thought out process.' I didn't respond to him.

'And I thought you were a gynecologist?' Derek started, and I glared over at him. Spencer started to speak but I cut him off.

'I am a doctor, who specializes in gynecology. That's what the first two letters of my name mean.' I really prayed he didn't say LI, because I was not in the mood to be explaining my points of this argument. Aaron looked over at Derek and gave him a look which I knew meant 'shut up.'

'This was out of our hands. Our Section Chief didn't want any news getting out to the public - if the media learned that a young woman was murdered feet away from a university campus days after the start of a new semester it would only make things worse.'

'I wouldn't have gone to the media! That thought never even crossed my mind.'

'We couldn't take that risk.' I took a breath and paused a moment. I'd had my rant and what was I really achieving by keeping it up? Yes, I had been angry that they'd lied to me and that they hadn't told me about Sara, but what did any of that matter now? What mattered now was figuring out who Sara's killer was and I wasn't helping with that by arguing with them about something they couldn't control.

I folded my arms across my chest and looked over at the board that Spencer and David were standing in front of. Sara's name was written in large letters at the top, and several pictures were clipped up below it. I recognized one picture because it was the picture that was also on our hospital records. The rest of the pictures were completely foreign to me and, from this distance, I couldn't make them out very clearly. The only thing that I could see was that there was a lot of blood.

The others noticed my silence and turned to see what I was looking at. I don't think I'd truly accepted that she was actually dead. Not until I'd seen the crime scene pictures of her lying on the floor, brutally stabbed.

'Have you discovered anything?' I asked my voice quiet. No one spoke for a moment. Oh great. Now they all hate me and think I'm a psychopath.

'We've not much to go on, but we're slowly moving forward.' Aaron said and I nodded, swallowing hard.

'It would help if we had some more information.' Emily said, with a small smile.

'Have you checked missing persons reports? She didn't list any of her family on her forms. Maybe she wanted to get away from them.'  
'We've looked.'

'Credit cards?'

'Nothing in her name. She either didn't have one or paid for everything in cash.'

'Have you searched her apartment?'

'We're currently canvasing the place, yes. But we've found nothing of interest so far.'

'What about the killer? Do you know anything them?'

'He appears to be disorganized as the body was found in a very public place and he made no efforts to try and conceal the body. On the other hand, he would have had to had followed her in order to work out her routine. That, and the fact that he used a knife, not a random object, suggests that he is organized.' Spencer explained.

'He?' I prompted.

'Statistically, it's more likely the un-sub was a man. For a woman to commit an act this violent would be extremely rare.'

'But not impossible.' JJ added. I stayed quiet for a moment, racking my brains for anything that could possibly help.

'I think she came from a rich background.' I say, finally.

'What makes you say that?' Derek asked.

'She listed no occupation on her forms either, so I'm guessing she didn't have one. Yet she still managed to dress immaculately - and all her clothes, shoes, bags and accessories were expensive. Her bag was Prada. This season. That's like $2500.' I said, thinking back to when I'd bought my black Prada bag two years ago as a birthday present. 'She must have borrowed money from her parents. Or they had enough not to notice that she took some. Are there any rich Barkley's living in Michigan?'

'We've looked. There's no one who even remotely resembles her family currently living in Michigan.' David said. 'Nor anyone who filed a missing person report for a Sara Barkley.' My eyebrows shot up.

'No one.' He shook his head. 

'So she made up the name. Could be her mothers maiden name, a name from a book, a name - ' My voice cut off, as the voice of Wilson Pickett began to fill the room again. Seriously?

'I'm really sorry about this.' I said, feeling myself blush again. I storm into the BAU ranting my head off and now I look like the most unprofessional person ever. I stole a quick glance at the caller ID and wanted to scream.

'What?'

'Suzanne Denning has moved her appointment to 12:50 today. She said something about emergency dental treatment.' Kelly said.

'Really? No one ever wants to make appointments earlier.'

'I'm sure, Lizzy. She did just ring me. You gonna get back in time?' I looked down at my watch and made a face. It was 12:28. I'd have to drive like the wind but I could do it.

'Yeah, I'll be back.'

'You sure? I have to drive that way to get to my apartment and it takes me about 30 minutes.'

'That's only because you're a slow driver.' I said, bluntly. 'I'll see you in 15.' That was when I registered the silence in the room. Awkward. I swallowed and nervously re-tucked the back of my floral blouse into my red skirt.

'That's a list of all my patients.' I said, gesturing down to the pieces of paper laying on the table. Spencer nodded his thanks. 'They're alphabetized.' I said, a hint of pride in my voice. I looked at my watch. 12:30.

'I need to go.' I say, slowly, looking back at the doorway. 'I have patients waiting.'

'Of course. Thank you for helping us again.' Emily said with a smile. She was just too polite to say that I stalked into the office, raving like a lunatic.

'Goodbye.' I murmured, nodding my goodbyes to all the team before walking out of the door. I had successfully walked three steps before I slammed straight into the body of a short blonde woman, carrying a brown box filled with documents and scraps of paper.

'Lizzy! I knew you were coming, but I was really busy, I - '

'Penelope!' I gasped, realizing it was indeed the form of one of my best friends. I had known that she worked for the BAU but I had had no idea whether I would actually see her at work. 'How are you?'

'I'm good. I - er - just - ' she gestured down to the box in her hands and grimaced, 'give me a minute, doll. Please.' She hurried off down the corridor and I saw her slam the box down on the table, much like I had done minutes before. I heard muttered voices and I took a step forward to be able to hear what they were saying.

'Those are all the old cases in a 50 meter radius of here that share similarities with Sara Berkley.' The team instantly dived in, pulling out various individual case files. 'I really scraped the barrel.' f From what I could see, they were going to have their work cut out.

'You know her, baby girl?' Derek asked, while leafing through a file. Baby girl? It suddenly clicked in my mind, after all the conversations I'd had with Pen about her team. Derek was her statuesque God of chocolate thunder that she so often mentioned.

'Yeah. She's like my best friend. We went to high school together. We Skype and e-mail and go out for coffee and stuff.' She explained with a shrug. 'Why?' Yeah Derek, why? Why couldn't I be friends with Penelope?

'You guys just seem very different.' He said, with a shrug. I got the feeling that Derek didn't really like me. I didn't know him well enough to make any kind of judgement.

'Opposites do attract, though.' Spencer said. 'In fact, the University of Pennsylvania conducted a recent survey and found that - ' he suddenly cut off, because all the members of the team were staring at him.

'Call me if you need anything.' Penelope said and hurried back down to me, adjusting the tropical flower that was clipped precariously into her hair. 'Sorry about that.' she said, as we began walking away back past the very intimidating offices. I noticed one bore the name 'Hotchner' on the door, and I wondered if his office was as organized and as clean as I expected it to be.

'It's alright. It looks like they keep you busy.'

'Oh, yeah. It can get pretty crazy and it's probably going to send me to a early grave because I'll get killed by a serial killer but it's all fun really. Apart from the gruesome deaths.' She took in my worried expression and just smiled. 'I'm fine Lizzy, really.' I knew it couldn't be easy to work with horrific murders every day of the week. I don't know how she managed to keep her bubbly, vivacious self running twenty four seven.

'How are the girls? I feel like I've not seen them for ages.'

'They're good.' I said with a grin. I always found myself smiling when I talked about them, despite the fact that they'd been in my life for eight years and six years now. 'They still look like mini cloned versions of me.' Penelope giggled.

'Then they'll be perfect.' She reached her arms around me into a hug, and I breathed in the familiar scent of her perfume that was so typically her.

'We should meet up soon. Have lunch or something. I feel like I never see you anymore.' She said, with a small pout. I nodded. It was true that we hadn't met up for a few months and she had always been the constant factor in my teenage and adult years.

'How about Sunday?' I asked, suddenly. 'You could come round for dinner. I could cook something, you could see the girls, we could catch up a bit?' I wasn't sure what her working hours were like when she was involved in an investigation.

'Sunday's perfect. I'm not really needed after hours. They're the crazy ones who get the midnight calls to chase a killer.' She gestured back to the office, where I could see the group frantically writing things onto the board. 'I'm just the technical analyst genius with the superpowers.'

'Great. I'm sorry, but I really need to get back. I've got a patient soon.' I said, looking down at my watch and seeing that it was 12:35. It was still do-able.  
'Of course. I forget that you're like a super doctor.'

'Really?' I didn't do brain surgeries or heart transplants or anything. Nobody considered gynecology to be all that important - apart from the doctors who studied it.  
'Yes. And you'd better believe it.'

FEATURED SONGS:  
Wilson Pickett - Mustang Sally  
\- Don't forget to comment your thoughts :D


	6. Quinque

I waved frantically to Lola and Lexi who were both waving back at me with huge smiles on their faces, their mouths forming words that I couldn't hear but was sure that they were some form of goodbye. My left hand was clutched tightly on the wheel, the other in mid-air, while my eyes flicked between the road in front of me and the eyes of my daughters. I was just glad I could multi-task. Otherwise I would be a road risk.

The lights in front of me suddenly changed and I turned the corner, a lorry now obscuring the view of my parents house, and I shifted back into my seat. It was 7pm on Friday evening and I was on my way to my local dance studio, where in the evenings they held adult classes. I had been a dance manic when I was younger and had had dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer - until my aunt had contracted breast cancer and I'd found my new calling in life. Ultimately, gynecology was much more rewarding but I'd never lost my passion for dance.

Despite the girls sleepover at my parents house being a nearly weekly fixture for the past year, it didn't stop the waves of guilt that were now beginning to consume me. While my parents were both physically fit, a part of me always thought that they should be spending their evenings relaxing rather than looking after the girls. But then my brother and sister's words started ringing in my ears and I knew that keeping my mother busy was the best thing for her.

Ever since she'd been discharged from the police force 18 months ago, my mother's attention span had dropped dramatically. She'd been shot in the chest after a particularly nasty bank raid and since she'd just reached the age of 60, her superiors had made the decision not to risk further damage to her health and let her have her retirement. Her punctured lung and fractured ribs had completely healed now but there was no way that she would ever get her old job back. Many people may have welcomed this retirement, but my mother hadn't coped well with being at home constantly, with nothing to keep her occupied. Her mood had swiftly dropped and after my siblings and father had noted some symptoms that seemed startling close to depression, we'd all been trying to keep her busy. And looking after 2 young children was definitely one way.

My stereo suddenly switched and I turned the sound up, enjoying the sound of Jackie DeShannon's 'All The World Needs Now Is Love' fill the air. My sister had always made fun of my seemingly random list of favourite songs - to which I'd responded by saying she only ever listened to the same thing, musicals or Beyoncé. Evidently, in my later years, her musical preferences had begun to rub off on me because now I was borderline obsessed with musicals and Beyoncé was a common fixture on my playlists.

I pulled up in front of the dance studio, which was a grand red-brick building with a slate roof and a gothic fence of iron spikes surrounding it. I grabbed my bag, jacket and water bottle from the passenger seat and clambered out my car, noticing the emptiness of the car park. Somehow I always managed to arrive early for everything, without even trying. The only other vehicles in the car park were a battered looking truck, that I knew belonged to the owner Sue, and a familiar black motorbike.

As I opened the front door, the gentle tinkle of piano notes filled my ears. Ballet had always been my main passion, but I still enjoyed the faster styles, such as jazz and tap. Dance was the one thing that I could do for myself. I didn't need to think of the kids, because I knew that they were safe, and while I absolutely adored them and would never change anything, I did sometimes miss being able to actively pursue my hobbies.

The dance studio consisted of three large studios that all fed from the same main corridor, and a adequate changing room at the far end in which to wait in between classes. Everything was painted in the same light cream colour, with various pictures, paintings and photographs of dancers decorating the walls.

The changing room had the only accent of colour that wasn't cream, a strange feature wall of olive green. And slumped against the wall, her bicycle helmet laying on her lap, was Saffron. I'd known Saffron for about four years, ever since she'd started coming to classes, and we'd quickly bonded over our similar sense of sarcastic humour. Her mother was Malaysian and this reflected in her lightly tanned, heavily freckled skin and large, doe-eyed features.

'Hey!' I said, as the door shut softly behind me. Her head whipped up from her phone and she grinned.

'Hi - you okay?' she asked, popping her phone into her pocket and pulling the leather biker boots off her feet.

'Yeah, I'm good.' I sat down next to her, removing my jacket and adjusting the straps of my black top. 

There was no set uniform for the class, so I generally tended to wear comfortable, practical clothing in black or grey - because all fitness clothing tended to be either monochrome or psychedelic. I reached into my bag and pulled out the envelope labelled 'Saffron' that was completely flat apart form a slight raise in the middle.

'I'm really sorry I can't see you on Sunday.' I explained, handing her the envelope. 'You're really busing seeing your family and I couldn't get across town in lunch time traffic to make it to you before you go out again.'

'Oh, don't worry about it.' She said, taking the envelope and placing it in her bag. 'And thank you, you didn't have to get me anything.'

'Of course I did,' I said with a grin. 'You never forget my birthday.' I pulled off my boots and replaced them with a pair of pink canvas ballet shoes. 'Are you doing anything?'

'Josh is taking me out for dinner,' she explained, referring to her boyfriend of 6 months, 'but I don't want a big party or anything.' There was a moment of silence before she continued. 'And - Lizzy - I lost my job.' My face dropped.

'What? No! Oh, I'm so sorry.' I couldn't believe it. Saffron had the worst luck of anyone that I'd ever known but I thought that her latest job, as a barista in a coffee shop, looked to be working out.

'Yep.' She said, with a solemn nod and a shrug. 'Apparently I need to be more conscious of customers.' Saffron made a face and I could tell she didn't think much of this. 'I worked in a bloody coffee shop. All you need is a hello, what d'you want?, here you go, next!' A sad smile rested on my face and I gave her hand a squeeze.

'You'll find another job, I'm sure.' I said, reassuringly. 'You always do.'

'I really liked that job.' Saffron whined, slumping back against the wall. 'It was five minutes from my apartment and I got discounted coffee.'

'I thought you were considering going back to college?' I asked, slowly. We'd talked about it a few times and I knew that she had a huge passion for clothes and design. 'You could get a degree in fashion marketing or something. That might be good.'

Saffron shrugged lazily. 'Would that get me a job though? You don't hear of many fashion marketing jobs going lately.' I smiled ruefully.

'Would you rather spend the rest of your life in pretty dead end jobs where people don't value you or doing something that you really enjoy?' Saffron looked pensive but I didn't want to push her any more. 'Just think about it.' I said, as the door to the changing room opened.

'Hey guys!' The other good friend I'd made at these dance classes Lydia entered, her bright blue hair piled into a bun on top of her head. The last time I'd seen her, her hair had been a neon red colour but I definitely thought the blue set off her dark skin better and made her look even more radiant.

'Hey,' I said, scooching over a little as she dropped her bulging gym bag onto the bench. Lydia was really into health and fitness and had more gym kit and gear than anyone I'd ever known. As she sat down and her jacket rose up, that's when I noticed the taut, toned muscles of her stomach showing.

'That's insane. You're insane.' I said, shaking my head and grinning. She basically had a six-pack. Basically. Saffron leaned forward to see what I was staring at and sighed dramatically.

'How do you stay off the chips long enough to look like that? How do you bother?' Lydia just shrugged, her natural dimples appearing on her cheeks.

'I'd look a bit hypocritical as a personal trainer if I didn't practice any of my teachings.' She explained. I still thought she was a crazy person. But I really admired the amount of dedication and resolve it must have taken.

'That's why I've not been here for a few weeks,' she said, pulling off her jacket fully to reveal a neon green and aqua sports bra and matching pair of leggings. You could tell she loved fitness just by how much money and time she put into it. 'The classes have clashed with clients and I couldn't exactly turn them away. That's why I've been doing a few extra sit-ups in the mornings - '

'A few?' Saffron exclaimed, as three more women entered the changing room, all carrying similar bags and water bottles. I threw them a smile and then turned back to Lydia. 'More like a billion.'

The door opened again and Sue - her fading auburn hair clamped to her scalp in a pair of French braids - stuck her head through the door. 'Ready, ladies?'

 

I glugged down half a litre of water, and wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my arm. My chest was heaving and I was forcing breaths in and out of my lungs, but I felt happy. I'd managed to get down into the splits without too much difficulty, completed a round of 90 degree développés and had even managed six fouette turns.

The rest of the women - there was about ten of us in total - all looked similarly sweaty and even Lydia was glistening with sweat. Saffron peeled the headband that I'd loaned her out of her dark, pin-straight hair and looked at me with a half-disgusted expression on her face.

'Are you sure you want this back? Shouldn't I decontaminate it first?' I chuckled, and grabbed it back, tucking it into my pocket.

'It's fine.' I promised, as I took another long swig of water. 'I'll wash it.'

'I just realised, I've not asked about the girls for ages - ' Lydia said with a tired smile, as she slipped her feet into her flats. 'How are they?'

'They're great, thanks.' I said, pulling out my phone and scrolling to the most recent picture of them together. To be honest, 70% of the pictures on my phone happened to be of them. Lydia squealed at the sight of them and Saffron rolled her eyes, a smile gracing her face.

'They are literally smaller versions of you.' She said. 'Are you sure they're not your identical genetic clones?'  
'I'm sure.' I said with a grin.

'They're adorable.' Lydia said. 'They almost make me want my own.' It was times like this that I was reminded that even though Lydia was 7 months older than me, not everyone my age had children. My age tended to be when people first started to consider children, not have two young girls already. Not that I'd change anything about that.

'Well thanks, but no thanks.' Saffron said, zipping up her jacket. 'I'd rather not squeeze two lumps of human out of my vagina if I can help it.'

FEATURED SONGS:  
Jackie DeShannon - What The World Needs Now Is Love  
\- Love you guys ;)


	7. Sex

I finished twisting the damp blonde strands of Lola's hair and secured them with an elastic, my bag sitting precariously at my feet. Lexi was dancing up the isle in front of me, her light hair looking almost white as it flew around her head like a swarm of bees.

'There you go.' I said, tapping Lola gently on the shoulder. 'Is that better?'

'Yes. Thank you.' Lola ran off to join Lexi at the end of the isle where Lexi was now admiring a tower of gravy granules. I re-hooked my bag over my shoulder and repositioned myself behind the trolley that was half-full of groceries. Lola didn't like the feeling of damp hair against her skin, and had been complaining about it for the last 30 minutes before I'd finally caved and stopped point-blank in the middle of the condiment isle and started braiding her hair.

It was our tradition that every Saturday after taking the girls' swimming lesson, we'd stop to buy the groceries for the week before returning home for some lunch. And while this tradition had had varying degrees of success over the years, today everything seemed to be going to plan. There had been no tears at swimming because Lola had failed her latest certificate or because the chlorine was stinging Lexi's eyes and there had been no major traffic hold-ups either. As things were going so far, making it home for lunch at 12:30 looked promising. Not that lunch had to be at 12:30, just that it then fit nicely into the rest of my schedule for the day which mainly included ironing, hovering, washing, tidying and changing the bedding. As well as preparing my lunch for the next few days, washing my hair and helping Lexi with her homework.

It had been three days since I'd last had any contact with the BAU and I took this to be a good sign. This meant that my answers had given the team enough information to conduct their investigation into Sara's death and had had enough detail to be able to find the person responsible. At least, this was what I desperately hoped.

I had never really considered it before but the fact that there could be a serial killer in my immediate vicinity did give me a small sense of panic. I just wanted the killer to be caught - not only as justice for Sara but also so that they couldn't hurt anybody else. No one deserved to be killed so horrifically or violently.

'Mommy, can we get these?' Lexi and Lola called from different parts of the store as I turned the corner into the yogurt isle. The girls had an obsession with the food, and my mother had teased on several occasions that they would soon begin to look like the thickened, flavoured milk substance if they ate any more. I justified this by saying the world calcium over and over again because calcium - we need calcium.

'Which, sweetie?' I knew that the girls had their favourites and as I passed these, I grabbed several packs and placed them in the trolley. Not only did they make good snacks for the girls before bed, but they also made a welcome addition to my lunch where it was a matter of eating as much as possible in as little time as possible. And sometimes, I just fancied a peach flavoured yogurt with talking jungle animals on the packaging.

'I want these ones - ' Lexi pointed to a pack of pear flavoured yogurts that had butterflies on the packaging. She was going through a bit of a phase with butterflies. She didn't even like pear.

'I thought these ones looked nice,' Lola said, running over to me holding two packs of banana yogurts and another pack of strawberry. Meanwhile, Lexi had taken it upon herself to grab four packs of the pear yogurts, dumped them on the floor, and suddenly become interested in a organic yogurt drink. She also happened to be singing along to the Taylor Swift song that was playing over the speakers. I grinned. I had taught her well.

'I think we've got enough now,' I said, smiling, and Lola nodded, running back to put them where she'd found them. I looked down at the shopping list that lay crumpled in my hand and thought of the hour I had taken this morning compiling it. I was going to follow it. I was. And extra pear yogurts were not on the list.

'Come on Lex, don't make a mess - ' I said, as I kneeled down to collect the yogurts and put them back in their refrigerated container. I was pretty sure short attention spans ran in the family because both my mother and Lexi seemed to share this trait. Now bored by this organic yogurt drink, she was now spinning around in the middle of the isle, her arms outstretched. Thankfully the store was surprisingly empty for lunchtime on a Saturday.

As I heaved two pints of semi-skimmed milk into the trolley, I saw Lexi wander round the barrier of the isle and out of my sight. She always had to be moving and it was usually in the opposite direction of where I was. I saw Lola looking hesitantly between following her sister and remaining in my line of sight.

'Go on - but don't wander too far.' I said, with a mock warning. I felt easier knowing that Lexi was with Lola, rather than her be on her own. Lola was very sensible for an 8 year old and looked after Lexi as though she was her own child sometimes. Which was helpful, because Lexi could get pretty hyper.

I looked down at my list. Next stop: fruit and veg. The song's chorus had become lodged in my brain so I subconsciously began singing along and reminding myself just how much I loved Taylor Swift as I reached the end of the isle and heard the two girls chatting. At first I thought they were talking among themselves until I heard a third voice, a little boy.  
I rounded the corner to see the girls chatting animatedly to a boy with dark hair and dark eyes, clutching a comic about soccer. Judging from how comfortable Lola seemed, I guessed that she already knew him because it was unlike her to be so confident with someone she'd just met.

'Hello,' I said, my voice soft and their conversation ceased. 'Who's this?'

'This is Jack,' Lola explained with a grin on her face. 'He's in my class at school.' That made sense.

'Oh, okay. It's nice to meet you.' I said and Jack smiled. 'Are you here on your own? Where's your parents?' I asked worriedly, thinking that this child had been abandoned in the middle of the supermarket because the whole fruit and veg isle was empty apart from the kids and myself.

'My Dad's getting some beer.' Jack said and I rolled my eyes. Of course he was. Not that I had anything against alcohol, but I only really drunk it at special occasions. 'I ran on ahead. I saw Lola and I wanted to talk to her.' They both began chatting again about one of their teachers, and even Lexi joined in. I craned my neck over the top of the isle, searching to see if I could find a man with beer searching for his son.

'Jack! Jack? Where are you?' Jack stopped talking and turned to me.

'That's my Dad,' he said and I was positive I'd heard the voice before. 'I'm over here, Dad!'

I turned to pick up two packs of grapes and bananas and put them in my trolley before looking up again and seeing Jack hugging the leg of Aaron Hotchner, a stocked trolley next to him. I forced a smile, trying to conceal my surprise. I hadn't known Aaron had a child. But then, why should I?

'Hi,' I said, cursing the awkwardness between us. I knew I shouldn't have gone into his office raving like a mad-woman. Stupid Lizzy.

'Hey.' He nodded at me and tucked his hands into his pockets. It was strange seeing him wearing a t-shirt and jeans like anyone else, instead of his usual suit. Yet, I suppose it must be weird to see me wandering around in a casual dress, tights and boots rather than my peplum skirt, blouse and heels which was what I usually wore for work.

'I - erm - didn't know you had a kid.' I muttered with a smile, looking across at Jack and Lexi who were giggling at something Lola had said. Aaron just shrugged and nodded.

'From my marriage. He's 8.' The way Aaron said the word 'marriage' gave me some indication that it was no longer a thing, but the lack of a ring on his finger as he ran a hand through his hair also alerted me.

'I'm sorry.' I said genuinely, knowing that divorce wasn't easy. Kelly's parents had divorced when she was 15 and things had been rather messy.

'You weren't responsible.' He said and I stuttered, brushing over his blunt reply and racking my brain for some way of keeping the conversation going. Silences in conversations were something I tried to avoid.

'Do you know my Dad?' Jack suddenly asked and my respect for him suddenly grew. If he could get me out of awkward conversations and was also able to keep Lexi and Lola engaged in conversation then he was a good kid.

'Yes,' I said, before panicking about what to say next. I didn't really want to explain about the dead patient scenario. 'He asked me some questions about some of my patients the other day.'

'Mommy's a doctor.' Lola said, proudly and I smiled, feeling a little embarrassed.

'Come on then - ' I said, feeling as though the awkwardness had gone on for long enough. I couldn't help flicking my eyes between Aaron and the kids because the last time Aaron had seen me I was sure he'd thought I was a loon who was more of a hindrance to his investigation rather than a help. 'I'm sure Jack's very busy today.'

'I'm not!' He shouted. 'I did all my homework yesterday!' I smirked. I could see why he and Lola were friends. They were both very conscious of their school work. Whereas Lexi...

'Well, I'm sure your Dad is very busy.' I replied, looking up at Aaron who nodded at Jack, his eyebrows raised. 'You'll see each other on Monday, anyway.'

This must have been the end of Lexi's attention span as she suddenly started wandering off down the isle. 'Can we get some ice-cream, Mommy?'

'Yes, ice cream!' Lola exclaimed, saying a quick bye to Jack before hurrying off after Lexi in the search of ice cream. I let out a breath and looked over at Jack.

'It was nice meeting you,' I said, and wheeled the trolley past Aaron, thankful I didn't run over his foot in the process. 'And it...it was good to see you again.' Good to see you again? Really, Lizzy?

'You too.' He said and he looked as awkward as I felt. I was glad to be rescued by the chants of 'ice cream, ice cream!' from a few isles along and drowned my embarrassment in buying three cartons of strawberry ice cream and two boxes of ice pops instead.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Taylor Swift - New Romantics

\- What do you think? Any improvements or things you'd like to see? :)


	8. Septem

I turned the page, the wind suddenly whipping around me and brushed some hair behind my ear. While the day was pretty sunny for September, the wind was bitingly cold. And while I'd lived in Virginia for 18 years now and had more than adjusted to the cold, I would have much preferred the temperatures to sky rocket. I briefly looked up at Lola and Lexi who were busy playing in the deserted sand pit. It seemed that we were the only people battling with the elements.

It was several hours later and I was sitting on the steel park bench through no one else's fault but my own - I'd promised that if Lexi did her homework, then I'd take them both to the park for a bit. This had obviously been the incentive she'd needed as she'd completed the worksheet within twenty minutes and had already found her coat.  
I sighed, crossing my leg over and pulling my navy woolen coat tighter around me. I'd spent the majority of my childhood living in Oklahoma where the seasons were considered a social construct and the weather could go from extreme to extreme at the drop of a hat. Anyone who I heard complaining about the Virginian wind, I instantly wanted to drop in the middle of an Oklahoman corn field and leave them there.

But at least in Oklahoma, there had been a little variation. In Virginia, it would be cold and windy for a month, before a thunderstorm arriving and shaking things up for precisely 12 hours before it started raining for three solid weeks. You didn't have to develop a second skin to keep out the cold because you knew that tomorrow there was a 50% chance that the temperatures would soar.

A sudden gust of wind took me by surprise and fluttered the pages of my book, leaving me unsure of where I had been up to. I leafed back through the pages, cursing the wind again and again in my head. I loved reading and, in the past year, had really tried to make more time in my life for it. The majority of the books I read were non-fiction because this was the only way I could satisfy my overly curious brain. My book case at home was mainly split into four categories: murder mysteries and crime novels, cook books, books about sex and feminism and books about history. Basically the four sections of my brain.

The book I was currently reading had been a birthday present from my brother and documented the struggles of Britain through the 1940s and 1950s. While my father was wholly Oklahoman, my mother had been born in London and the rest of her family still resided there. This part of my family had sparked my interest of British history so I now read pretty much any book on the subject that I could get my hands on.

Lola's sudden yells dragged me out of my historical reverie and my head shot up. A boy was running across the park shouting something before he plopped down next to her in the sand pit. I recognized him immediately as Jack. And if Jack was here, then that meant...

At the other end of the park slowly trudging in my direction was Aaron, now wearing a thick black coat. Great. Just great...

It wasn't that I had anything against Aaron, quite the contrary really. He was a respected high-ranking member of the FBI and I'd managed to let my anger get the better of me and had made myself look like a fool in front of him. That was the reason why I was so reluctant to speak to him. It was that, and definitely not the small crush on him that I had found myself developing.

I might have been a hopeless romantic but that didn't mean that I fell in love with every person who looked at me. And Aaron hadn't really done much other than that. I'd had two vaguely professional conversations with him and had a very awkward talk in the supermarket. I hardly knew anything about him. I knew his name, and that he worked for the FBI, and that he had a child, and that he used to be married but no longer was. I also knew that he must live relatively close to me if we used the same park. That really wasn't enough interaction to warrant any sort of crush on him. Yet as he walked towards me, I felt a small flutter in my stomach.

I turned my attention back to my book and trying to concentrate on the words swimming in front of me, I prayed that Aaron would just ignore me.

'Can I play for a bit, Dad?' I heard Jack ask and I willed for Aaron to remember that he had something really important to be doing that he'd forgotten about. Although, I highly doubted that he would have been able to become a high-ranking FBI agent if he easily forgot things.

'Sure. Just for a bit though, it's getting cold - ' No, Aaron, you've got that super important report to complete, remember? 'Can you two put up with Jack for a bit?'

Lola and Lexi replied with yesses and I tried to turn the page as discretely as possible, as if I could just fade away into the background of trees and shrubbery behind me. I was concentrating so forcefully on the words that I didn't hear his footsteps until he was standing next to me.

'Can I sit here?' My eyes jumped up to meet his and I swallowed my awkwardness and the slight feeling of warmth that bubbled inside of me.

'Sure.' I said, nudging further up the bench, so that I was basically sat on the arm rest, even though there had been plenty of room anyway. Why was I acting like such a teenager?  
I tried to ignore him and focus fully on my book that, despite everything, I was actually really enjoying. But every time he breathed I could hear the small intake of breath and swore I could feel his eyes boring into my skull.

Why are you feeling like this, Lizzy? The rational part of my brain asked. Because I have a crush on him. And why else, Lizzy? Because I verbally attacked him and his team and inadvertently the rest of the BAU. And how can you make things better, Lizzy? By apologising. Yes. By apologising. Apologising. Yes.

'I'm sorry I shouted at you.' I stuttered so fast, I wasn't sure whether the words had made a coherent sentence. 'I'm really sorry I shouted at you and your team.' I repeated, slower this time, just in case he can't caught my words the first time.

If he heard my stuttering, he didn't react. He just smiled slightly. Very slightly. It almost wasn't a smile, but I could tell it was. 'It's alright.'

'I hadn't had time to process everything and I took my anger out on you and your team and that was unfair.' I sucked in a breath, glad that I'd finally said it and hopefully diffused some of the awkward tension that I'd been feeling.

'No, it's okay, really. I probably should have told you about the full situation. I know that if it had been me, I would have wanted to know and would have been annoyed if I hadn't been told.' I nodded, suddenly feeling more relaxed in knowing that he didn't hate me or think I was foolish in ranting at him. In fact, he understood why I had.

'How's it going? The case?' I asked, wondering if this qualified as small talk. 'If I'm allowed to ask?' I hope he identified the hint of humour in my voice and didn't just think I was being condescending.

'We found another body late last night.' My smile suddenly faded, the hint of humour in my face completely gone. Another body. Two kills made him a serial killer, right? I toyed with the chain around my neck.

'Where?'

'Hidden in the back room at a laundromat downtown.' That was very different to the body being found on a street next to a college. 'She'd been dead a couple of days, though. The owner found her when he was doin a clear out. She was probably killed on Sunday evening or Monday morning.'

'That puts her death before Sara Barkley's?' I said and Aaron nodded. 'Is it the same killer?'

'We think so. This victim had the same slashed wrists and was also stabbed in the heart and the face. She was only stabbed once in the stomach, though.'

'Is that normal? Changing the number of stabs?' Aaron shook his head.

'This killer is calculated and plans everything down to the smallest detail. He deliberately stabbed this victim once and Sara Barkley twice.'

'To mark his kills? That victim was his first, one stab. Sara Barkley was his second, two stabs.' Aaron looked almost surprised that I'd said this but he nodded.

'That's our theory. It's going to be hard to identify her though, because rigor mortis had set in and her skin had begun to turn black.' Black putrefaction. I had gone through a very, very short phase of wanting to be a coroner.

'We're doing our best, though.' He continued. 'Garcia's working very hard.' I smiled at this. Pen would spend hours, even days working on something in order to crack it or get in perfect.

'We're very good friends.' I said, getting the hint that he too was wondering about my relationship with Pen. Or maybe that was just my nervous energy reading too deeply into things. 'She's actually coming round for dinner tomorrow. That is, if I can figure out what to cook.'

Aaron smiled again - the smile that was so small it was barely a smile - and now the silence wasn't awkward as much as it was comfortable. Or at least, I hoped he found it comfortable. Maybe it was just the distraction of the kids that calmed the tension.

'Hey!' I said sharply, as Lexi playfully flicked some sand in Jack's direction. 'We don't throw sand. If it goes in someone's eye it can hurt.'

'I didn't throw anything.' Lexi said, and I narrowed my eyes.

'Then why do you look mischievous?' She had a broad smile across her face and crossed her arms across her chest. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Aaron smirk.

'You always say that I look cute!' This comment took me by surprise and I remained quiet for a moment. Lexi took more notice of what I said then what I gave her credit for.

'Yes...' I said slowly, 'But you also look mischievous.'

Suddenly, the high-pitched tinkle of the ice-cream van filled the air and I inwardly groaned. I did not buy half a tone of ice-cream mere hours ago to have the kids buy one from the van. I wasn't going to do it. I wasn't. That was before I saw the smiles on their faces.

'Please, Mommy!' Lola begged.

'PLEASE MOMMY!' Lexi yelled, standing up and stamping her feet. I fished my purse from out my bag and almost rejoiced and the lack of change I had.

'I don't have any coins, sweetie.' I said. I begged that they would be too caught up in the world of ice cream to know that I could give the lady a $50 bill and she would give me change. A lot of change...

'Here, use this - ' Aaron brought a handful of coins out his pocket and offered them to me. 'I dare say Jack'll want one too.' No, I did not want this. 

'No, I couldn't do that. It's fine. We've lots of ice cream at home, remember?' 

'But we don't have the swirly sherbet sauce!' Lexi pleaded and I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to be in debt to anyone, least of all the man who I was slightly crushing on.  
'Really, it's fine.'

'No.' I said, strongly. 'I'm not taking your money.'

'Lizanne, it's only a few dollars.' I was suddenly taken aback by his use of my name and very reluctantly took the coins from his outstretched hand, trying to avoid directly coming into contact with his skin. Because then I might have reacted...differently.

'What do you say?' I said in a sing-song voice, turning to face the girls. Between the three of them, they'd managed to construct what looked like a fairly solid sand castle, although the east wing looking to be decaying very quickly.

'Thank you!' They chorused, beaming at Aaron. I wanted to tell him that he had two new fans who would forever be indebted to him because they were never going to forget the day when Jack's nice dad gave them money for ice cream.

'Yes, thank you.' I said with a smile, turning to him. 'And call me Lizzy. Everyone else does.'

\- Thanks for reading!


	9. Octo

'Night night, sweetie - ' I said, turning the lamp shaped like a flower down to a dim glow. 'I love you.' I watched Lola snuggle down further into her duvet, before rolling over to face the wall. She always slept facing the wall. I couldn't do that as a child - I was always petrified of a monster coming into my room.  
   
'Sleep well, my lovely - ' Penelope called softly from the landing as I gently brought the door closed, leaving it open only a fraction.  
   
Lexi had gone to bed about half an hour ago - after several attempts to get her to actually stay in bed and attempt to sleep - but me and Lola had got rather carried away in a story about a fairy who was living in the human world. In the last chapter, she'd almost revealed her powers to the mean girl at school and it had all been very dramatic. Penelope had come upstairs to see if I'd fallen asleep or something and in the end, had helped me put her to bed.  
   
'She loves you, y'know.' I said, as we both descended the staircase, padded through the circular hallway and entered the main room of my house, which doubled as a living room and kitchen. 'They both do.'  
   
'That's just because of my irresistible charm, sweet pea.' Penelope flopped down into one of my enormous grey sofas, tucking a cushion under her arm and taking the cup of tea I'd made her in her hand. I sat down at the opposite end of the sofa, grabbing my steaming cup of hot chocolate in one of my favourite mugs (because I have a prolific mug collection) and tucking my bare feet into the mountain of cushions I always had to have assembled on my sofa.  
   
I sighed contentedly as I took a sip of the liquid chocolate. I hadn't felt this relaxed in quite a while. I was determined to keep the recent murders as far from my mind as possible and to just enjoy the company of one of my best friends.  
   
That was the plan before my phone started buzzing and Wilson Pickett started singing. I looked down at the ID and saw that Saffron was calling me.  
   
'Sorry about this, it's Saffron.' I explained. Penelope had met Saffron a few times when they'd both been visiting me at home.  
   
'It's her birthday today, isn't it?' Pen asked, taking a sip from her drink. 'I sent her a text.' I nodded and held my phone to my ear, knowing that Saffron had a rather low patience for phone ringing time.  
   
'Hey, Saffron! Happy birthday!' I said, smiling.  
   
'Thank you!' I could hear some classic 90s pop songs in the background and yet again commended her music taste. 'I have to be quick because Josh is going to be here any minute, but I had to ring and ask if you if you have absolutely lost your mind?' She shouted these last words and I furrowed my brow.  
   
'No more than usual, I don't think. Why?'  
   
'Why on earth would you give me a beautiful bracelet as well as $200? Have you gone crazy? Do you need actual help?'  
   
'No, I don't. It's your birthday and I want you to get something nice with it.' I said, firmly, ignoring Saffron's light tone.  
   
Saffron was one of my best friends and I knew that money was tight, as she'd just lost her job. And although I knew Saffron would probably ignore my request and use the money for rent instead, at least I knew that it would be helping her out a little. I sometimes felt slightly guilty about the amount of money I was paid and even though I knew it was reflective of the twelve years I'd spent in education and all the exams I'd had to pass in order to do what I did, that didn't stop some of the guilty feels I felt when my friends had money troubles.  
   
'You can't just give me $200 dollars in an envelope and expect me not to say anything!'  
   
'Well, I'm accepting your thank you and saying that you're welcome. You work so hard and I wanted to take a tiny bit of the pressure off you. Ideally, you'd buy some new shoes or a sofa but if it goes towards groceries then at least I know I'm feeding you.' Saffron was silent for a few moments and I was worried that she was genuinely upset about the money I'd given her.  
   
'You're like my own mother, sometimes, you know that?' I smiled at her usual, sarcastic tone and knew that she wasn't upset with me after all.  
   
'I am very aware.'  
   
'Oh, Josh's here - ' I heard the sound of a door opening and muffled voices. 'Thank you again Lizzy, you're amazing!'  
   
'No, you're amazing.' I said, teasingly. 'Have a good time!'  
   
The phone line went dead and I flung my phone into the depths of the cushion mountain next to me.  
   
'Let me guess, Saffy being her annoyingly stubborn self?' Pen asked, a knowing smile on her face. I nodded as I took a gulp of my drink.  
   
'I gave her a bracelet and $200 and she said I was crazy.' I said with a pout.  
   
'That's because you are!' She exclaimed, her eyes lighting up like the jeweled hair clips dotted around her head. 'Psychiatric help is strongly advised, honey.'  
   
'I'm not crazy!' I defended. 'She's tight for money at the moment and I feel guilty sometimes because I'm...not...' Pen gave me a soft smile.  
   
'You're too good for this world, sugar.' Why was giving Saffron money such a crazy act? Yes, it was $200 but it was hardly $200,000,000,000. I just wanted to take some of the pressure to find a job off of her shoulders. I breathed in the warm scent of chocolate and draped one of the throws over me and Pen, despite not being terribly cold in my blue jeans and appropriately fall colored shirt.  
   
'How are you doing?' I asked, wrapping both hands around my mug. 'I feel like I ask that you that every time I see you...'  
   
'You do - ' Pen muttered, smiling.  
   
'But it's the FBI! It's basically all murderers and terrorists!' Pen didn't even correct me on this fact.  
   
'At the minute, I'm mega tired and want coffee injected into me via IV and I'm stressed out because there is a possible serial killer running around Quantico and we've not really much to go on. But apart from that, I'm fine.' Her voice sounded flat and it was the first time I really noticed the tired lines in her face, usually disguised by her brightness and colour.  
   
'If there's anything I can do to help, Pen...'  
   
'Don't be silly, Lizzy. I don't expect you running around the streets in your heels during your lunch break with a gun hidden in your Prada.' I rolled my eyes. 'I'll only stop feeling like this when the guy's caught and locked up.' The way she said it may have sounded hurtful but I knew that she was being sincere.  
   
'Meanwhile...' the usual bounce and humour was back in her voice, 'how did you like your first trip to the BAU?'  
   
'Well, apart from getting accosted on the stairs and throwing a fit in front of a load of federal agents, it was great.' I said, sarcastically.  
   
'Speaking of you getting accosted, I have some news on that front.' I raised an eyebrow. I had no idea that Pen had even known about that before now.  
   
'Agents Cole and Davidson got a good telling off from their superior officers and were given all the night shifts for the next three weeks.' I was gobsmacked. I didn't know what to say, so I just took a large sip of my drink.  
   
'But - but - How did anyone know?' I spluttered. As far as I could remember, I had been the only person they'd talked to. Or rather, talked at.  
   
'Emily - that is Agent Prentiss - is cracking down on sexism within the work place and asked me to keep an eye out on the CCTV for any agents overstepping their limits.'  
   
'Oh...'  
   
'Yeah. She's very passionate about the whole 'will tolerate no sexist bullshit' thing.'  
   
'Too right.' I said, my respect for Emily instantly increasing.  
   
'She can get quite scary actually. Pretty boy looked like he was going to hit the floor the way she reacted to your video.' I managed to identify that the 'pretty boy' in question was probably Spencer. But wait...  
   
'Spencer saw the video too?' I asked anxiously and she nodded.  
   
'Yeah, the whole team saw it. They were watching it just before you arrived, I think...' I inwardly groaned. I'd just about repaired the relationship between me and Aaron and now the rest of the team are probably terrified of me and think I'm going to stab them in the brachial artery too.  
   
'Now they'll all hate me...' I whined.  
   
'They don't hate you.' Pen promised. 'They're all super lovely, I swear. JJ is a literal angel. Em can appear a little harsh but she's a massive nerd really. Reid is harmless, he's just crazy clever. Like, cleverer than you - ' I shot her a glare at this. I was only clever on Gynecology, musicals, Latin and Disney. 'Morgan looks intimidating because he's so shiny but he's super lovely and very heroic.'  
   
'Oh, of course he is. That's why you're madly in love with him.' I smirked.  
   
'Oh, tush - ' Pen said, waving away my comment with a manicured hand. I never got my head around how she could type so furiously without chipping her nail polish. 'Rossi is literally a replica of your father, just 100% more of an Italian stallion. And while Hotch's stare might be considered lethal in 49 states and might smile only once a leap year, he's actually a massive softie.' I grinned at these analogies of Aaron. Which state was his stare not considered lethal in? Hopefully Virginia...  
   
'If they just spent more time with you, then they'd get to see how amazing you are!' Pen said with a grin.  
   
'So they do hate me!' I spluttered and Pen didn't even correct me. just grinned and drank her tea. Re-building my relationship with Aaron had been one thing, but rebuilding a relationship with 5 other FBI agents would be another thing altogether.  
   
Pen looked down at the time on her phone and downed the rest of her tea. 'I should go, I suppose.' She said with a disappointed shrug. 'I have to be back at work at the crack of dawn. No time for our usual Disney movie marathons.' This was one of our many traditions and one of my personal favourites. But I knew that there was a time for a Disney marathon and 9:30pm on a Sunday evening probably wasn't it, considering Pen had to continue the investigation in the morning and I had to perform several cervical screenings tomorrow.  
   
She rose from the sofa, placing her mug on a coaster and enveloped me in a hug. I drank in her scent and the glitter that seemed to permanently cover her. I felt so at ease in her company that she was literally like my second sister.  
   
'I'll miss you so much, sweetie - ' Pen said, as we finally drew apart.  
   
'Me too. We have to do this again sometime. And soon, not in three months or something.'  
   
'Definitely. I'll make a note and then you can work it out from your extremely busy schedule.' She teased, knowing that aside from my work, my schedule was basically always open. 'At least Hotch will be happy that I didn't go out partying on a Sunday like Morgan did once. He turned up for work the next day and thought that Reid was JJ's actual child and Rossi was the father.'  
   
FEATURED SONGS:  
Wilson Pickett - Mustang Sally  
New Radicals - You Get What You Give  
   
\- Don't forget to comment your thoughts ;D


	10. Novem

I pulled up in front of my parents house, before switching the engine off and listening to 'Grease (Is The Word)' slowly fade away. It was around 6pm the following day and the September sky was already beginning to darken. It had been a fairly standard day today - I'd conducted eleven breast examinations, seven pap smears and spent a large majority of my day talking about sex and other people's sex lives. And this was utterly normal.  
   
From the outside, my parents house looked like any other suburban home. It was a relatively small two-story building that had somehow managed to house my parents, myself and my two siblings for a eight years before I'd moved out and gone on to the University of Virginia School of Medicine. During those eight years, I'd had to share a room with my sister or tackle the sofa and the uncomfortable night's sleep that it brought. Even now, more than a decade later, my mother still hadn't cleaned out the clutter - her pottery lizard statues or my siblings - and it's safe to say things were still pretty crowded.  
   
As I reached the door, I heard the warbling tones of my sister belting out a rendition of Beyoncé's 'Sweet Dreams'. Mondays also meant that it was band practice, so my siblings five piece band would also be lounging around the house. Tuesdays also meant that it was band practice. As did Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. And Saturdays. And occasionally Sundays.  
   
I knocked on the door, wondering if anyone would hear my knocking over my sister's singing. But after a few seconds my father appeared at the door, his dark hair (that was streaked with grey) rumpled and a small smile on his face.  
   
'Hello there - ' he said, as I reached for a hug around his lanky frame. I definitely got my height from my father. 'Good evening.' I smirked. He could appear to be rather posh, but in fact, I didn't know anyone who was so much the complete opposite.  
   
'Evening. How are things?' I asked, as my father closed the door and the full force of my sister's singing hit me. I was surprised my parents didn't have permanent migraines. Not that my sister was a bad singer - she was amazing really as was my brother - but I would not have been able to cope with the sheer scale of the noise.  
   
'The usual. Welcome to the mad house - '  
   
I stepped into the living room, met with a sight that I had become used to seeing. Lola and Lexi were sprawled out on the sofa, a carton of juice in their hands and their favourite cartoon involving a rabbit playing on the slightly battered TV. The blue-grey carpet was littered with games that I presumed they had started playing but had never finished. The door leading into the kitchen was shut - a last ditch attempt by my mother to block out the noise of the band because she really need to call Elsie and ask her about her cat, or some other pressing phone call. And in the conservatory, that had now been renamed 'the band room', was the band.  
   
Aimee was poised behind a microphone, belting out the final notes of the song, her choppy bangs swinging as she swayed to the music. Next to her was Joe and his best friend Nathan strumming along on their guitars. And behind them were the twins, Carrie and Jess, providing backing vocals.  
   
'Mommy!' Lola suddenly sprung from the sofa and ran over to me, reaching her arms around my hips.  
   
'Hey, sweetie! You okay?' I asked, ruffling her hair and giving her a squeeze.  
   
'Yep. I got 10 out of 10 on my spelling test today,' she said proudly, a smile spreading onto her face. 'No one else in my class did!'  
   
'Oh, well done!' I said, feeling very proud. 'That's great!'  
   
'Jack spelt answer wrong.' She explained. 'But that's a hard word, isn't it?'  
   
'It's a very hard word.' I agreed, looking over at Lexi who still sat slumped on the sofa. 'Are you okay, Lex?'  
   
'She had a fall.' My father explained, sitting down next to her and reaching for his cup of tea.' Tripped over in the playground, didn't you?' Lexi nodded solemnly and rolled up her blue leggings. Sure enough, her right knee was an angry red colour and the skin was grazed.  
   
'Oh dear.' I said, sitting down on the other side of her and cuddling her under my arm and softly stroking her head. Lola ran off into the kitchen to presumably tell my mother that I was here. 'Does it hurt?'  
   
'Only when you touch it.' She murmured, her voice quiet as she snuggled further down into the fabric of my red and white patterned dress. I expected that it hurt a little more than Lexi was letting on because I doubted that a small graze would be able to deflate her so dramatically.  
   
'It'll be okay. I'll put some cream on it when we get home, okay?' She nodded glumly.  
   
'Hello, love - ' My mother suddenly popped her head out from the kitchen, a purple scarf draped over her shoulder and her blonde hair shining in a way that suggested it was freshly cut. 'Do you want to stay for dinner? It's stew!' She said the word stew as though it was a block of solid gold. But the smell emerging from the kitchen was drowning my senses and enticing me in. I had grown up thinking that my mother was one of the greatest cooks alive and I had carried that belief into adulthood.  
   
'Are you sure? Things look a little hectic.' I called, looking into the band room where the group looked to be having a fiery conversation involving one of Aimee's several copies of the 'Hairspray' soundtrack.  
   
'Nonsense, there's plenty of room' I grinned and looked down at Lexi's curled form.  
   
'Go on then.'  
   
Aimee charged towards me, looking every inch the rocker in her grey t-shirt and blue distressed jeans, the album case clutched in her hand. 'Lizzy! I need you - '  
   
'No, good evening, nice to see you sis, how you doing?' Joe teased. Aimee just glared at him, her dark eyes burning into his skull.  
   
'Hairspray, it's set in the 60s, right?' I nodded, slowly. 'Therefore, you cannot turn up for the audition wearing a Batman t-shirt! It's not in character! Corny Collins does not wear Batman t-shirts!' Angrily, she prodded Joe's chest and I saw that he was wearing one of his many black t-shirts that was stamped with the Batman logo.  
   
'It's community theatre, Aimes, not Broadway.' Joe moaned, straightening his shirt and re-adjusting his large, black framed glasses. 'I can wear what I want.'  
   
'Community theatre is the stepping stone TO Broadway,' Aimee said ferociously, running her hands angrily through her light brown hair. I'd heard from my mother that both her and Joe were auditioning for the community theatre's production of Hairspray, and that tensions were running high. I also knew that Pen happened to also be a member of said community theatre and said that they were really just looking for someone who could hold a note and do a twirl.  
   
'Hey, hey calm down - ' I said, looking over at Aimee. 'Joe can wear what he wants. I know that this is really important to you - ' I said, quickly, as Aimee looked as if she was going to cut me off, 'and I know that you are both going to do fantastically well at this audition because you are both amazing singers. So, I really don't think that your audition attire is going to put the director off.' I said firmly and I saw Aimee's face soften. I knew that she didn't do things by halves and that was one of the things I admired about her. She wanted to be on Broadway since she'd been small so I could only imagine how much this audition meant to her.  
   
'Told ya - ' Joe muttered, walking back to Nathan and the twins who were chatting among themselves. They had quickly gotten used to our family dramas and had learned to cope with them. We'd basically adopted them in as our honorary cousins who ate our food and shared our clothes.  
   
'Dinner's ready!' My mother suddenly yelled, and Lexi stirred from next to me, hobbling to her feet. Lola ran off to the rickety table that sat next to the wall in between the living room and the conservatory, pulled out her usual seat and sat down.  
   
'So, you tied anyone's tubes today?' Aimee joked, the ferocity in her voice gone. This had become a running comment with my siblings.  
   
'No,' I repeated, for what felt like the hundredth time. 'I don't do operations, I've told you. It's too close to genital mutilation - '  
   
'Which you did your dissertation on and it scarred you for life, we know.' Aimee said, pulling me out my seat and leading me to the table where Lola and Lexi were already sat eagerly. 'I'm only joking.'  
   
'And I'm in hysterics.' I said, bluntly. I had studied female genital mutilation for one of the many dissertations I'd done over the years and it had frankly horrified me. So yes, I personally didn't do operations of any kind, even if I knew that they were needed and would help the patient, because it just didn't sit right with me.  
   
The rest of the band came to sit down too and my father emerged from the kitchen carrying several cans of beer. 'I'll get you a juice, Lizzy - ' he said, before I could comment and I smiled. Water, juice and hot chocolate were basically all I drank nowadays, mainly because I just didn't like the taste of most types of alcohol.  
   
'Lizzy, ever the teetotaler.' Joe teased, taking a sip of his beer. I rolled my eyes, accepting my glass of apple juice from my father with a smile.  
   
'Joe, ever the observant one.' I said, with a smirk and Joe coughed and re-adjusted his glasses - the pair that everyone at the table knew he was blind as a bat without.  
   
* * *  
   
After I'd eaten half my body weight in vegetable stew - Carrie was a devoted vegetarian - I was sat on the sofa, my feet curled up next to me as my father read the girls a book about a baby hedgehog and my mother was watching the news whilst eating a slice of fruit cake. The band were back practicing for an upcoming gig at a local bar, and the set list seemed to mostly consist of The Beatles. So why Aimee was singing a song from Frozen, I had no idea.  
   
The weather forecast for the next three days suddenly crackled away to show a press conference, and behind the microphone was JJ. The words 'FBI SPEAKS OUT' were written across the bottom of the screen. I quickly grabbed the TV remote and turned the volume up, her voice becoming crisper and clearer.  
   
'The body of a young woman was found on Saturday morning at a laundromat downtown. We are still yet to identify the body but we believe her to be a victim of homicide. The FBI and the Virginia State Police are doing everything they can to find the person responsible and all our resources are being pooled into tracking them down. We are not yet sure whether this body is connected to the death of a woman from Michigan, Sara Barkley, who was found dead early last week but we are exploring all open options. In the meantime, we urge people to remain vigilant and to report anything they see that they think is suspicious or unusual to the tip line. Thank you again for your co-operation.' JJ's voice was firm and steady, despite the fact that hundreds of camera were snapping in her face and reporters were barking questions at her from all angles.  
   
I noticed that there had been no great detail about the particular deaths nor had there been any information on what the team assumed about the killer. I gathered that this must have been a deliberate move by the BAU to try and calm some of the panic that they had been talking about.  
   
'That's horrible...' My mother murmured, putting her now empty plate down on the coffee table. 'How could you just leave a body like that?'  
   
'I was with the FBI on Tuesday.' I said, slowly. I hadn't told my parents about Sara Barkley or about my experience with the BAU yet because I hadn't wanted to worry about them. 'Sara Barkley, the woman who was found last week, was one of my patients.' I noticed that my father had stopped reading and was now listening to the conversation.  
   
'What was that like?' He asked, closing the book. I shrugged.  
   
'It was scary at first, you know. It was the FBI. But it was fine. They just asked me some questions about her.' There was nothing 'just' about it. I kept seeing her face in my mind and every night I replayed our last conversation in my head like a stuck movie reel.  
   
'The public are beginning to panic. And the police are struggling to cope.' My mother said and I furrowed my eyes.  
   
'How d'you know that?' I asked, confused. Was my mother now best friends with the Chief of Police?  
   
'I still have some contacts.' She said with a smile. 'Just because I'm retired doesn't mean I can't have a friendly chat with June about the state of the force.' June had been one of her colleagues who was still in the force and who, from the sound of it, was feeding her information about their cases.  
   
I hadn't really thought about how the general public would react to these two deaths, but now I could see that the team had been right in their concern about details being released. Panic needed to be minimized and avoided at all costs so to some extent, they'd been right not to want to tell me about Sara. I still would have liked to be told though.  
   
My head suddenly looked up to the band, or more precisely Aimee and Joe who were arguing again. My mother called it their 'creative differences.' This time, it was about song lyrics.  
   
'You know Disney, don't you, Lizzy?' Joe called to me. It wasn't just me and Pen who had Disney marathons. Me and the girls had been known to spend hours at the weekend doing nothing but. I nodded. 'You seen 'Hercules'?'  
   
'Of course,' I said. 'We're big fans of 'Hercules', aren't we?' I asked, looking over at the girls who nodded.  
   
'The line is 'smooth as sweet vermouth', isn't it?' Joe asked and I nodded slowly. That was the line. Yes. I'd been known to sing it round my kitchen.  
   
'No it's not!' Aimee shouted, playfully hitting Joe on the arm. 'Who even drinks vermouth anymore?'  
   
'Hercules.' I answered. 'And I think you're just digging yourself into a deeper hole.' She looked confused. 'You're going to have to sing it now.' I said with a grin and the girls nodded. 'You did bring it up.'  
   
I heard some groans and grumbles but the band soon assembled, found the correct sheet music (because they had pretty much every Disney song going, per my request) and burst into song. Lexi seemed to instantly perk up a little bit more and I noticed that she seemed much more alive than she had before.  
   
She wanted her own personal Pegasus - as she'd told me many times - and while I'd told her she couldn't have a real one, she did have several stuffed toy versions which sat permanently on her bed like her own guardian angels. And I could relate to Meg on a molecular level, especially everything she said about guys being major douchebags.  
   
FEATURED SONGS:  
Jessie J - Grease (Is The Word)  
Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams  
Frozen - Fixer Upper  
Hercules - The Gospel Truth Part 1

\- Any improvements? Comment below!


	11. Decem

I spooned the last blob of the cookie mixture onto the baking tray and smoothed it out with the back of a spoon. Looking behind me, I checked to see that the girls were well away from the oven (they were giggling around a bag of floor which I'd left on the counter), opened the door and put the second batch of chocolate chip cookies inside. The first batch looked to be rising well, and a quick look at the timer stuck to the fridge told me there was eight minutes of cooking time left.  
   
'What are you two up to?' I asked, shutting the oven door and wiping my hands on the apron tied around my waist. I hadn't bothered to change out of my black jumper and beige pencil skirt, but hadn't wanted to completely destroy them. The kitchen was actually remarkably tidy, with limited flour and sugar on the floor, which was good because I really didn't fancy cleaning the kitchen at 6:30 at night. I'd managed to finish work bang on time today - which was peculiar for a Tuesday - so after a dinner of rice and chicken, I'd decided to make some cookies with the girls.  
   
'Nothing, Mommy!' Lexi giggled, turning away from me and my eyes narrowed. What was that little munchkin up to?  
   
'Oh, really?' I asked, innocently, returning the tub of butter to the fridge. I saw Lexi lick her finger and dip it into the bag of floor before spreading it across Lola's cheek.  
   
'I do not want snow children!' I teased, spinning them around by their shoulders to see their faces covered in little blobs of flour across their cheeks, foreheads and noses. I glared at them and they both immediately burst out laughing, forcing a smile onto my face.  
   
'She started it!' Lexi said, pointing a finger at Lola.  
   
'I highly doubt that.' I said, giving Lola a knowing smile. Suddenly, a knock on the door startled me and I quickly glanced out the window to see the figures of two men in the fading light. I wasn't expecting any guests.  
   
'I'll be back in a minute,' I said to the girls, seeing that Lola now had a dot of flour on her nose. 'Stop it! I don't want to have to dunk you in the bath!' The girls started giggling again and I rolled my eyes.  
   
I looked out through the peep hole, expecting it to be the neighbors or a pair of salesmen. What? Why were Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi knocking on my door at 6:30 at night?  
   
I unlocked the door and swung it open, the chill of the September evening hitting me like a smack in the face.  
   
'Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi.' I said, nodding to each of them and David stuck his hand out for me to shake. 'What a surprise.' I looked from David over to Aaron and saw that there was none of the calmness and humour that I'd seen when I'd met him in the park. He was now strictly on business.  
   
'We're sorry to inconvenience you like this.' David explained, 'but we've some new information that we'd like to run past you.' I had not expected this, and instantly worried what this new information was. 'And see if you can answer any more of our questions.'  
   
'Of course, come in - ' I stepped back, allowing them both inside. I turned to the girls and groaned, seeing Lola now had flour in her hair, courtesy of Lexi. 'Oi! I don't want my children to look like snowmen.' The girls smiled mischievously and I closed the door, fixing the latch.  
   
'Please, have a seat - ' I said, directing David and Aaron towards the living room portion of the space, where the TV, sofas, chairs and bookcases were located, all contained in a bubble of duck egg blue and blush pink.  
   
'Is Jack here?' Lola suddenly shouted and I realised she must have seen Aaron and assumed that Jack was here too.  
   
'No, sweetie - ' I looked over at Aaron and saw that his face had relaxed slightly. 'I'm just - '  
   
'We're just having a chat about work.' Aaron explained and Lola nodded.  
   
'Yeah, it's very boring.' I looked between Lola and Lexi who now resembled small snowmen and groaned. 'Just give me one minute.' I said to David and Aaron who had settled themselves down on the sofa.  
   
'Of course,' David said, before murmuring something to Aaron who glared back at him. I hurried Lola and Lexi up the stairs, cursing them for turning up at my house unprepared. Why would they do this to me?  
   
'You need to have a wash. Properly - ' I exaggerated, as Lexi stuck her bottom lip out. 'You look like you were in an accident. Or like a polar bear.'  
   
'Polar bears are cute though,' Lola said, happily as I herded them into the bathroom.  
   
'And you two are cute without being covered in flour. Just try your best to get it off and I'll come and help when I've talked to Agent Hotchner and Agent Rossi, okay?' The girls nodded and start giggling again, before reaching for their flannels.  
   
I hurried back down the stairs, racking my brains as to what David and Aaron could want to talk to me about. What new evidence could they possibly have to urgently talk to me about?  
   
'I'm sorry about that.' I said, unlacing my apron and throwing it into the washing machine. As I walked to sit down, I noticed that the agents had faint smiles on their faces and realised that maybe my two snow children had just diffused the tension that had been hanging around in the air.  
   
'We're sorry to intrude like this but we thought that we should inform you of some new details that had come to light.' Aaron said, opening the folder he had been carrying. Because if they didn't inform me of these new details, I could kick off again, right?  
   
'We've managed to identify the woman whose body was found at the laundromat.' David explained and my heart skipped a beat. Why were they telling me this? 'Her name was Claire Harper.' I sucked in a breath.  
   
'She was another one of my patients.' I breathed, letting the news sink in. Claire Harper and Sara Barkley had both been patients of mine and now they were both dead. What did that mean? Was it purely coincidence?  
   
'What can you tell us about her?' Aaron prompted and I tried to reorganize my thoughts.  
   
'She was supposed to be moving back to Atlanta.' I explained. 'My last appointment with her was two weeks ago and she said that her father was taking her back to Atlanta which is where the rest of her family lives.' The agents both scribbled this down.  
   
'She never even left the city.' David mumbled and I gulped. 'What else can you say about her personality?'  
   
'She usually turned up late for appointments.' I said, thinking back. I don't think she'd ever been on time. And now she never would be. 'And she always seemed very sluggish and tired. I got the impression that she didn't really get out much, or that it took great effort to leave the house.'  
   
'We've managed to find her finances and credit cards and that supports what we found.' David nodded. 'We don't think she had a job either.' I nodded.  
   
'There wasn't one listed on her forms, so I assumed that she was unemployed.' A shrill noise pierced the air and we all looked over to the kitchen, where my timer was buzzing on the fridge door. The cookies. I'd almost forgotten about them.  
   
'I need to get the cookies out the oven.' I breathed, as Lola and Lexi came running into the room, mostly flour free.  
   
'We can take a short break.' Aaron said and I jogged over the oven, grabbing my pair of oven mitts that were decorated with pineapples and taking the first batch out the oven. I was hit by the intoxicating smell of chocolate and melted butter and my stomach rumbled involuntary.  
   
'Can I have one, please?' Lola asked, appearing by my side as I transferred the cookies from the baking tray to a cooling rack.  
   
'They need to cool down a little bit first.' I explained, watching her face fall a little. 'It'll only take about five minutes.' She nodded and walked back out of the room, Lexi following her.  
   
'I'm sorry,' I stuttered, blushing as I heard two pair of footsteps pad back up the stairs. This was probably the least professional interview they had ever done. And now my mind had been completely taken over by the scent of the cookies.  
   
'We should be the ones apologising.' David said with a smile. 'We're the ones interrupting your evening.'  
   
'Was there anything else?' I asked apprehensively. I didn't think I could take anymore bad news in relation to this killer.  
   
'Yes.' Aaron said, opening the folder in front of him to show a series of crime scene photos. I tried to keep my eyes away from them and focused on a spot on Aaron's tie instead. 'We found a third body this morning. She had the same MO as Sara Barkley and Claire Harper, and had three incisions in her stomach marking her as the third victim.'  
   
'Have you identified her?' I asked softly. If a third patient of mine had been killed, I don't know what I would do with myself.  
   
David nodded slowly. 'She wasn't on your patient list.' I felt a wash of relief which was quickly replaced with apprehension. Then who was she? 'So Garcia did some digging. She was a nurse who worked at your hospital.' I held my breath. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.  
   
'Mina Diaz.' Aaron said slowly, showing me a distant shot of a woman lying on the floor of a motel room, her blood soaking the carpet. Her dark hair lay matted around her head and her tanned skin looked almost translucent. I remembered the last time I'd seen Mina at work, chatting with some other nurses in the café. I'd known her for years. She's been a constant fixture at the hospital for as long as I could remember. She had been so full of life. And now she was dead.  
   
'Can you tell us anything about her?' Aaron asked quietly and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I needed to tell them everything I could about her. That was the only way I could help her.  
   
'She worked part-time at the hospital.' I said, trying to form words. 'She spent the rest of her time working as a prostitute.' Aaron and David didn't react. I guess they'd heard everything. 'A few people at the hospital knew but no one said anything. I didn't get involved. It was her choice and she wasn't being hurt by it so...' I trailed off. It was suddenly hitting me that these three women had been killed and all three of them had been common fixtures at the hospital.  
   
'What about her personality?'  
   
'She was very confident.' I said with a smile. 'She'd flirt with anything that moved. She was comfortable around everyone, most people liked her.'  
   
'Most people?' David queried.  
   
'Some people thought she was too forward. Too bold. Too 'overly sexy.' I said, gesturing with my fingers. David nodded and scribbled this down.  
   
'What does it mean if he's not just killing my patients but other people too?' I asked, softly. 'Why would he do that?'  
   
'The hospital will most likely be his comfort zone, his stalking ground.' Aaron said, catching my eye. 'He'll be familiar with the place.'  
   
'There are hundreds of employees.' I said, disheartened. 'There are different people there every single day, I can't give you a list of everyone who has ever set foot in the place.'  
   
'We know.' David explained. 'We have Garcia scouring all the CCTV footage that we've currently got, looking for anyone suspicious. We're going to start doing rounds of the hospital ourselves tomorrow and see if there's anything that we can find out.'  
   
'We've established a hot line and hopefully someone will spot something. The killer himself might even come forward but that is quite unlikely.' Aaron said.  
   
'Why?'  
   
'This killer doesn't crave media attention. He only needs to satisfy himself.' I nodded. If he did crave attention, then he would probably he easier to catch.  
   
'We still don't have a clear profile, but we do know some fundamental details. He's organized, familiar with the hospital and confident around it. He probably has a personal connection with the victims too. We're looking for anyone who was present in all three of their lives, but so far, we've nothing.' Aaron said. I could tell how dejected he and David were both feeling. Pen wasn't kidding when she'd said they didn't have much to go on.  
   
'And we've no motive.' David said finally. I heard the patter of footsteps outside and Lexi ran back into the room.  
   
'Can I have a cookie now, Mommy?' She asked and I nodded.  
   
'Of course, sweetie.'  
   
'We'll let you get on now.' David said, collecting the crime scene photos back together and stood up. Lexi was trying to reach over the counter but she wasn't quite tall enough so I left my seat to get one for her.  
   
We'd baked a batch of 36 and I knew that we would never manage to eat all 36 before they went stale. I found a plastic bag and placed 7 of the biggest ones inside before folding the top over.  
   
'Here, take these back with you.' I said, passing them over to Aaron and ignoring Lexi's pout. 'You look like you could do with a pick me up.'  
   
'Thank you,' Aaron said with a smile and a nod. I saw David mentally counting the cookies inside.  
   
'Two for me,' he said with a chuckle and a smile to himself, looking over at Aaron.  
   
'No, one is for Penelope.' I said firmly, smiling despite myself. 'If I hear she doesn't get it, I'll be back round to the BAU for another screaming match. I can promise you that.'  
   
I opened the door, feeling the definite chill in the air. 'Thank you for your help.' Aaron said, shaking my hand. Again with the firm handshake! Why did I find that so attractive?  
   
'No problem,' I replied as David also shook my hand and patted me on the shoulder.  
   
'Thank you for the cookies. They'll be greatly appreciated.'  
   
'You better not eat them all on the drive or there'll be trouble!' I said in a warning tone, and I saw both Aaron and David smile.

\- Thanks for reading, I love you guys!


	12. Undecim

After giving the girls a bath, enjoying the first three of our cookies and reading a book another chapter on the fairy living in the human world, I'd collapsed onto the sofa with my book, a mug of hot chocolate and a bowl of strawberry ice-cream with every intention of reading 100 pages before I went to bed. But, so far, that wasn't happening. When I was tired, I got distracted.

I'd been distracted by the state of the cream linen curtains and had had to leave my book in order to straighten them out. I'd been distracted by the order of the cook books in my sloping wooden bookshelf and had been spurred on to re-order them alphabetically. I'd been distracted by the arrangement of the cushions on my two other sofas and had now arranged them in a colour coordinating pattern. When I was tired, procrastinating became second nature and I hated myself for it.

I'd finally completed a whole chapter and to reward myself, I took a long sip of my hot chocolate and had several spoonfuls of ice cream. I was slowly working my way through the three cartons of ice cream I'd bought at the weekend but I knew that we'd probably still have some left at Christmas because September really isn't the optimum month for eating ice cream.

I turned back to my book, my mind numbed by chocolate and ice cream, and the words began to dance before my eyes. I spent a further ten minutes trying to get through a particularly harrowing chapter about The Blitz before giving up and shutting the book. I could never read anything in the morning - my brain wasn't fully switched on until 9 and by that time I was fully immersed in the world of patients and gynecology. So the evening, when the girls had gone to bed, was the time that I had to myself to read and relax. But for some reason, today wasn't a good reading day. The events of the Blitz weren't sticking in my mind. What was, however, were the faces of Sara Barkley, Claire Harper and Mina Diaz.

The knowledge that St. Addison's Hospital, the hospital which I'd worked at for 6 years, was now the hunting ground for a serial killer did not sit well with me. I almost considered it as my hospital now because I knew every nook, cranny and storage cupboard in the place as well as most of the staff and all of the regular volunteers. It had been my place of work for the last 6 years of my life. I'd completed my 4 year OBGYN Residency at the hospital and learned pretty much everything I knew about practical gynecology there. I'd also worked there full time for the last two years. The fact that it had now been infiltrated by a serial killer was not a comforting thought. It was unnerving.

This killer could take any form. He could be a doctor, a nurse, a patient, a receptionist, a visiting relative, a volunteer or a cleaner. There was no way of being completely sure. He could be absolutely anybody. And he might not even be a he! I could be second guessing all of her male colleagues to have a female patient come and stab me in the stomach.

No. I was being crazy. I was being paranoid and silly. The killer only found and stalked his victims in the hospital. He didn't kill them there. He learned their routines and then followed them before killing them. And I liked to think that I would be able to identify if someone was following me. I'd know if someone was following me, right?

I suddenly felt very glad that my mother had taught me some basic self defense maneuvers from her earlier police days and even though I knew that these probably wouldn't allow me to take him down, at the very least they could allow me to get away so I could call the police or the BAU. I wasn't totally defenseless. I wasn't a duck waiting to be shot. Then why did I still feel unnerved?

I allowed the ice cream and hot chocolate to calm me down slightly, but my anxious mind was still wandering. I was sure of two things.  
   
Firstly, there was a very high chance - it was almost certain - that I knew the killer. I'd either heard their name in passing or I knew them very well. I probably encountered them every day. I'd definitely spoken to them before. The fact that I knew a killer was a very strange feeling and not one that I liked.  
   
And the second was that Aaron Hotchner smiling about my cookies had done nothing the quell the crush that I had begun to form on him. That was another image that I thought would be permanently etched into my brain and I much preferred to think of this than my two dead patients and dead co-worker.  
   
I honestly couldn't remember the last time that I'd had such a strong crush on someone. Yes, I admired Dr. Blake's hair and Dr. Mahoney's dreamy eyes - along with every other woman who stepped foot into the hospital - but I didn't have a crush on them. I didn't find myself randomly thinking about them at points throughout the day.  
   
The funny thing was that Aaron was definitely not the guy I usually found myself thinking about. I usually went for the funny types and the guys who weren't afraid to laugh at themselves. It wasn't that Aaron didn't have a sense of humour - I'd seen only a glimpse of his sarcasm - but he was definitely more of the brooding, silent type.

But I always thought that 'types' were stupid. Yes, I found brunettes more attractive than blondes but that didn't mean that I liked one personality trait more than another or held it in higher regard. It all depended on the specific person.  
   
And it seemed that Aaron's combination of traits really attracted me.  
   
Although, it did seem like Aaron and myself were on two different ends of the spectrum. We were both professionals and parents and this seemed to be where the similarities ended. Pen often commented on what she thought was my 'constant optimism', 'warming cheer' and 'teasing banter.' This looked to be the stark opposite to Aaron's brooding and stoic demeanor.  
   
But maybe that was a good thing? I didn't want to be with someone who was a carbon copy of myself. That would just be like having an evil twin that you got to hold hands with.  
   
Eating the last scoop of ice cream, I determinedly pushed Aaron from my mind. I wasn't looking for a relationship at the moment - not that I was ever really looking for them, they just happened - and had bigger things to worry about.  
   
No matter how much of a hopeless romantic I was, I knew that catching a killer whose favourite haunt was my place of work was infinitely more important than my crush on a guy.

\- Love you guys!


	13. Duodecim

'And there he is, with what's left of my slipper in his mouth, covered in drool.'  
   
'You're the one who adopted a puppy. Didn't you know he wasn't house trained?' I asked, skeptically, leaning over the receptionist desk.  
   
'I didn't think that meant home wrecker!' Kelly exclaimed, viciously hitting the keyboard. 'He's like a ninja. But still manages to look adorable. Like a baby - '  
   
'He is a baby! He's a puppy!' I said incredulously. Reggie had now destroyed a cushion, a throw, a lamp shade and a slipper in his first week of being Kelly's new room-mate and I knew that things were probably not going to improve until Kelly got him house trained.  
   
'Haven't you got things to do?' Kelly said crossly but playfully nudging me away from her computer with her elbow.  
   
'No - I have a 20 minute gap between patients.' I explained, teasingly. 'You're supposed to know that.' Breaks were very rare, and somewhat annoying. I'd rather have patients from 9 till 5 with no breaks then have a few breaks during the day and then have to stay until 6.  
   
'Lucky for some...' Kelly muttered under her breath, as the alert popped up on her screen signaling she had a new e-mail.  
   
It was the next day, and I'd managed to see my first two patients without any thought of the murders coming into my mind. Then my thoughts had wandered back to last night and I'd been reminded that the BAU were starting to scout the hospital today. Then I'd been looking for their faces in every doorframe and down every corridor. Then I was looking at the faces of all my male co-workers and wondering whether they were capable of killing. It was very annoying.  
   
'Ooh,' Kelly whistled under her breath and I raised an eyebrow. 'The Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI are visiting today and we have to answer their questions and co-operate, according to senior management.' My mind had been expecting them to appear in a puff of smoke for the last hour when, in actual fact, they hadn't even arrived yet.  
   
'The BAU is the department handling the murders of Sara Barkley, Claire Harper and Mina Diaz.' I said, flatly and Kelly's eyes widened.  
   
'They're the people you went to have a screaming fit at last week? When they didn't tell you about Sara Barkley?  
   
'Yep.'  
   
'You never told me they were hot!' Kelly squawked, spinning her computer screen round to face me. Kelly had somehow managed to hack into the CCTV cameras in the foyer of the hospital and on her screen was a frozen CCTV image of Derek, with the heads of Spencer and JJ in the background. The time stamp read 9:52, which was two minutes ago.  
   
'It wasn't relevant.'  
   
'It's relevant to me! This is my chance, Lizzy!' Kelly gave me a saddened look which made me think of a kicked puppy. 'Guys never work out with me, you know that...'  
   
'Because my love life is infinitely better,' I murmured sarcastically.  
   
'And it's not every day that an attractive FBI agent walks into my hospital.'  
   
'In the middle of a murder investigation.' I reminded her.  
   
'I just want to be kissed by a decent guy, Lizzy. I deserve that shit, I'm a good person. I adopted a puppy. I recycle.' I rolled my eyes at her analogy but smiled.  
   
'I know you're a good person, Kells. But hacking into the hospital's CCTV system doesn't really show that, does it?'  
   
'I'm not hurting anyone!' She insisted, as the ding of the elevator echoed down the hall. 'I'm checking for terrorists.'  
   
'I wouldn't say that word when the FBI are in the building.' I whispered. 'They might go into hyper mode or something.' A look of realization crossed Kelly's face and as she started tapping away on the computer again, my eyes trailed down the corridor that led to some of the surgery wings. Aaron, Spencer and Emily were approaching, notebooks in their hands. I noted that Spencer's jumper and tie combo had been toned down to a muted shade of beige and Emily's fringe looked even more amazing under the harsh hospital lights. I really wanted that fringe.  
   
'Dr. Harmon?' I jerked away from staring at Emily's fringe to Aaron who had spoken to me.  
   
'Good morning.' I said, with a pleasant smile. 'It's good to see you again.'  
   
'If we could help it, we wouldn't be here.' Emily said bluntly and I nodded.  
   
'Can I help you with anything?'  
   
'Could we have a copy of all the various rooms on this level, a - a floor plan if you will. Please.' Spencer asked and I looked over at Kelly, who I knew had been listening to the conversation as well as sulking that none of the three agents looked anything like Derek Morgan.  
   
'Coming up in a mo,' Kelly said, her fingers frantically typing.  
   
'Harmon! HARMON!' The clatter of footsteps on the polished floor behind me filled my ears and I heard Kelly groan under her breath.  
   
'Roll out the red carpet, his eminence has arrived!' She mumbled and I smirked, flicking the fluff off my light blue skirt and rolling the sleeves of my grey cardigan up to my elbows.  
   
'I need Helen Carter's details on my desk, pronto. Her tubectomy operation is due to start in 90 minutes and I haven't even read your preliminary checks because I don't have the paper work.' Evan shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and looked up expectantly at me through his thin-wired glasses. I clicked my heels on the floor and looked up at him, curling my tongue.  
   
Dr. Evan Bartholomew - genius ex-cosmetic surgeon and now head of the surgery ward and basically everything involving a scalpel and a person's internal organs - had been a constant fixture at St. Addison's ever since I'd arrived. He'd only been newly trained then, and we'd quickly learned that our personalities clashed. While I couldn't fault his medical knowledge and practical skills, he was proud and ambitious and often stepped down on the little people in his rush to make it to the top. And he knew it.  
   
'My preliminary checks are sitting on your desk.' I replied and he smirked.  
   
'If they were on my desk, I'd have them in my hands right now and I'd be reading them.'  
   
'They've been sitting on your desk since Monday morning.' I said firmly, crossing my arms. 'It was the first thing I did when I came into work. They're probably buried under the fast-food wrappers and reams of girls numbers that you're yet to reply to.'  
   
Evan scoffed and pushed his glasses further up his nose, taking a step forward. 'Really? You sure about that?' I opened my mouth to speak but he carried on. 'I really need those preliminary checks, Harmon. I can't conduct the op without them.' Now he was trying to guilt me into saying I'd made a mistake. But those checks had been on his desk since Monday because I'd put them there myself.  
   
'I told you, they're on your desk and they've been there since Monday. Some people don't leave important pieces of paperwork regarding operations till the last minute.' Evan didn't speak for a moment and just glared at me. I was surprised that he hadn't questioned the presence of Emily, Spencer and Aaron but considering they were fervently asking Kelly questions about the number of elevators, I doubted they looked important enough for Evan to notice.  
   
'I'll go and check then.' He said abruptly, glaring at me, before spinning on his heel and walking back down the corridor to his office.  
   
'And you can tidy up while you're at it - ' I muttered. Evan might be a brilliant surgeon but he wasn't half messy.  
   
'Your floor plan is printing, I promise. The printers can be a little...temperamental...' Kelly explained, grimacing a little. The printers were everyone's least favourite part of their respective jobs because of their temperament.  
   
'Thank you,' Aaron said, jotting something down on his note pad.  
   
'Who is that?' Emily asked, a pen poised in her hand and her eyes trailing up the corridor. 'Because I am seconds away from adding him to the suspect list.'  
   
'Dr. Evan Bartholomew.' I explained, as Aaron gave Emily a look which I was sure meant that she couldn't actually add him to the suspect list. 'Genius surgeon, the new head of this floor and all round nice guy.' Kelly scoffed, as she reached under her desk to retrieve the floor plan and passed it over to Spencer and Aaron, who descended on it, armed with pens.  
   
'He really is a brilliant surgeon.' I defended, folding my arms.  
   
'But could do with a good slap in the face?' Emily prompted and I smirked.  
   
I saw that Spencer was marking where all the security cameras on the floor were located and Aaron was making a big deal of circling all the entrances and exits.  
   
'We're looking into how the killer could have entered and exited the hospital,' Aaron said, by way of explination,'in order to identify which security cameras we need to concentrate on as well as the people he would have come into contact with.'  
   
'HARMON!' I spun on my heel to see Evan walking back down the corridor, the folder I'd placed on his desk on Monday in his hand and a stern expression on his face. My guess was that I had severely bruised his pride.  
   
'You must think you're very clever.' He said by way of introduction, all humour lost from his voice.  
   
'I do.' I said. 'I wouldn't be a gynecologist if I didn't have some form of intelligence.' He scowled and curled his nose up, as though I was a particularly bad smell.  
   
'Don't you have something to be doing? Collecting pee samples? Feeling someone up?' I ignored his latter comment, having heard them all before.  
   
'I don't collect urine samples.' I said, using the correct medical terminology just to spite him. 'And I have a break between patients so I was assisting the FBI with some of their enquires, because I'm up to date on my paperwork, evidently. I'm sure you've seen the e-mail?' Knowing Evan, there was absolutely no way that he'd seen the e-mail.  
   
His light eyes shot around me to Aaron, Spencer and Emily who were talking among themselves, while referring back to their notebooks and the floor plan that was laid out on the top of the desk. Now that the FBI were involved, Evan was suddenly interested because they happened to be above him in the ladder of life.  
   
'Dr. Evan Bartholomew, head of the surgery unit here at St. Addisons.' Evan said, brushing past me and sticking his hand out for the agents to shake. He hadn't even seen them and they'd been stood there the entire time.  
   
'SSA Hotchner.' Aaron said, shaking his hand. 'This is Agent Prentiss and Dr. Reid.' Evan nodded at Emily and Spencer but kept the majority of his attention focused on Aaron, probably because of those three letters before his name.  
   
'I would be happy to give you a full tour of the facilities here. Or a private meeting in my office to answer any of your questions.' He said, a smug edge to his voice. 'What are you looking into?' Read the e-mail, dofus.  
   
'We're looking into a triple homicide.' Aaron explained. 'And all the victims had strong connections to this particular hospital.'  
   
'Really?' Evan asked, his voice clear that this was the first time he'd heard of this.  
   
'It was discussed in briefing.' I said bluntly, forcing him to turn around and look at me. 'Liberally.' The murder of two patients and a nurse was not something that really slipped under the radar.  
   
'Well, I'm sure that Dr. Harmon is very busy today and has other things she ought to be doing...' Evan looked at me out of the corner of his eye and I could tell that he really wanted me to disappear right now.  
   
'Actually, Dr. Harmon was being very helpful.' Aaron said, clasping his hands. 'She's been answering a lot of our enquires for us.' I felt a blush of pride in my chest and felt a smile on my face.  
   
'And don't you have a meeting to get to, doctor?' I asked, innocently. 'That started, oh, five minutes ago - ' I remembered from briefing this morning that there was a meeting occurring where all the heads of department were required to be present at. A meeting that the new head of surgery really didn't want to be late for.  
   
'If there is a meeting, why aren't you there too, Dr. Harmon?' He asked, putting on an air of false politeness that I knew wasn't really fooling anyone.  
   
'Because I'm not clever enough, Dr. Bartholomew.' I said, with a grin. 'It's only for heads of department.' Evan's face paled slightly and I knew that he had suddenly remembered. I wasn't trying to wind him up; there actually was a meeting.  
   
'If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be. But, feel free to direct any questions you may have to me.' He said hurriedly, shaking Aaron's hand again before half-jogging half-running back down the corridor, his shoes echoing on the polished floor.  
   
'Take that, handsome.' Kelly croaned from behind her computer and I rolled my eyes. I don't think I'd had a single working day where a conversation like that hadn't happened between us. 'Lizzy, one. Annoying jerky doctors, nil.'  
   
I noticed that neither Aaron, Spencer or Emily said anything about our exchange, but I gathered that it probably wasn't their place to say anything. Although I did notice Emily giving Evan a look that was capable of putting him in a grave.  
   
'Is it possible for this plan to be labelled?' Spencer asked, as I checked the watch at my wrist and noticed that my next appointment was quickly drawing nearer. 'So we can identify which doctors work within each room and so on...'  
   
'Sure.' Kelly answered, partly through gritted teeth. When senior management told you to do something, you did it. Even though I knew that Kelly much preferred to be alone rather than talking to relative strangers.  
   
'How d'you spell Sylvie's name, Lizzy?' Kelly shouted as I entered the store cupboard that was located at the back of the foyer. She was referring to Sylvie Rochambeau, the only other female gynecology doctor at the hospital and a very nice person whose office was next to mine. I knew that I would be conducting some examinations with my next patient and I also knew that my drawers were bare of speculums.  
   
'R - O - C - H, ' I shouted back, rifling through the packs of plastic bags filled with the various pieces of equipment needed on this floor. 'A - M - B - E,' I finally found the piles of speculums and grabbed four packs to keep my drawer relatively stocked.  
   
'Is that it? Are that many letters silent?' Kelly cried, as I exited the store cupboard, locking the door behind me.  
   
'No, it's French, not magic. It's A - U at the end.' I said, watching Kelly scribble down the name and saw that she'd already scribbled Lizzy Harmon on my respective block of the corridor.  
   
'You're so good at French.' She murmured as she copied down the rest of the names of the doctors and surgeons who shared rooms on this floor.  
   
'I'm not,' I scoffed, looking down at my watch again. 3 minutes until my next appointment was due to start. 'I only studied it for 2 years.'  
   
'And you can only speak it semi-fluently, poor you. I've studied English for more than 30 years and I'm still not perfect.' She clicked her pen lid back on and threw it into the box of pens that sat on her desk. 'That's everyone.' she said, passing the sheet back to Spencer. Emily was stood a few feet away, talking on the phone, presumably to another agent on another floor of the hospital.  
   
'Latin is my language, really - ' I said, thinking back to my time in college where I'd majored in Human Biology and minored in Latin. Because, why not.  
   
'That's a dead language and you're still more linguistic than me.' Kelly said, pouting and I rolled my eyes.  
   
That was when I spotted my next patient, Nina Forsyth, stepping out of the elevator. I brushed down my clothes and patted my hair down, plastering a pleasant smile on my face.  
   
'Hello,' I said, as she met my gaze and she smiled.  
   
'Morning, I'm sorry I'm a little late.' I gazed at my watch. She was two minutes late. That was basically early.  
   
'Nonsense, you're right on time.' I said. 'Please, come in - ' I gestured to my office door and picked up the packs of speculums. 'You're looking lovely and tanned.'  
   
'I've just come back from a cruise in the Mediterranean.' She explained, stepping into my office.  
   
'I'll see you in a bit - ' I quickly mouthed to Kelly, who suddenly picked up the phone to answer a call. I tried to meet Spencer or Emily's eye to give them a wave but they were both fully consumed in their notebooks and talking into a mobile. Aaron seemed to be much more aware of his surroundings as he was looking up and down the various corridors leading off the foyer, his hands deep in his pockets.  
   
As he turned back towards Emily and Spencer, his eyes strayed towards my door and I shot him a smile and a nod which I hope he identified as a professional 'see you later'. He didn't seem to react with more than a nod back but I didn't have time to consider his behavior because I really wanted to get back to Nina and testing her cervix for cancerous cells.

\- Thanks for reading :)


	14. Tredecim

I dug through the mountains of boxes that were stacked in the storeroom servicing every department on the fourth floor of St. Addison's Hospital, including Gynecology. My fingers found another pair of latex gloves and I shoved them into my cardigan pocket, letting out a harsh breath.

I'd managed to eat my lunch for the day - which had consisted of leftover rice and chicken, a banana and two cookies - in little under ten minutes because as well as being a fairly fast eater, you simply needed to be in a environment like this when personal time was scarce. Because the remaining 45 minutes of your lunch break, for example, could easily be taken up rooting through boxes for gloves which you would have thought would be a basic requirement in a hospital. Apparently not.

I'd just found my fifth pair of gloves when I heard someone calling from the front desk. I'd already tried the main inventory on the ground floor, which is the size of a small apartment, and because I hadn't found any in the box labelled gloves and hadn't wanted to fish around in every other box for the next three hours, I'd returned to my basecamp of the fourth floor to search there to little avail.

I left my glove hunt behind me, to see who was calling at the front desk. I knew that Kelly had disappeared off to her favourite coffee haunt for a sandwich and an iced caramel macchiato and wouldn't be back for another fifteen minutes, so I sometimes took on the responsibility of answering the few phone calls that came through and directing the straggling patients back to the correct room or floor.

I prayed for a moment that the caller wouldn't be Evan, who I had seen stalking out the meeting room ten minutes previously, but my fears were wanton as it was Emily who was glancing around for some kind of personnel, looking exactly the same as I'd seen her this morning.

'Everything okay?' I asked, running a hand through my hair which I knew must look rather messy considering I'd nearly dived into a box of syringes headfirst.

'Everything is...sort of going to plan - ' she said, pulling a face. 'We haven't had any convincing leads but we're hoping that our presence here might just scare him into not hurting anyone for a while.'

I nodded, folding my arms and checking if there had been any calls left on the answer machine. There hadn't. I returned two pens to their respective compartments and threw a mint wrapper into the trash. 'Can I help with anything?' I asked, watching her lean against the table and let out a sigh. I guessed she'd been traipsing around the hospital all morning and was feeling pretty low that they'd not found anything.

Emily bit her lip and thought for a moment. 'I just - You've been at the hospital for a while, right?' I nodded. 'How would someone with intimate knowledge of the hospital go about getting up here without sticking out?'

'You think the killer works on this floor?' I asked, lowering my voice slightly. I didn't want to terrify any patients, or anyone else. Emily shrugged and shook her head.

'I'm just trying to get a hit on this guy. And that means making random, often terribly wrong, assumptions.' Emily peeled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and flattened it on the table. I realised it was Spencer's floor plan. 'It's my turn with this bad boy. We're all waiting for our eureka moment. We've made detailed plans of all the floors to take back to the office and see if we can think of anything.'

Emily sounded so dejected but her smile was still so wide that I just wanted to help her in any way that I possibly could. I took a pink pen from off the desk and began circling things, my mind whirring.

'Anyone would have to come through the main foyer.' I explained. 'All the fire exits are only accessible from the inside. Then you'd have to cross the foyer, which isn't too difficult considering it's constantly full of people. Then you can either use one of the four sets of elevators or take the stairs. The elevators bring you out over there - ' I pointed to my left over to the elevators as well as circling them on the plan. 'And the stairs bring you out over there - ' I pointed in the other direction, past the door leading to my office and to the end of the opposite corridor. 'That's outside Dr. Bartholomew's office.'

Emily's eyes suddenly brightened. 'That has to be enough to get him put as the chief suspect,' she said with a triumphant grin and I just smirked, knowing that we'd bonded over our mutual annoyance of the surgeon.

'Are all the surgeons here such dicks or is it just him?'

'He's not that bad.' I said, and Emily raised an eyebrow in my direction. 'He's not, really. If you ignore him, then he goes away eventually.'

'I swear you could get him done for workplace bullying.' She exclaimed, running a hand through her hair. 'Maybe even office sexism. You should think about it.'

'He's harmless, honestly. And he's a brilliant surgeon so I'd be doing all the patients here a disservice by getting him kicked out.'

'And while we're on the subject of annoying members of the male species, I dealt with those two who harassed you on the stairs. I can safely say they won't be doing anything like that any time soon. Or if they do, I obviously didn't look scary enough.' Emily's dark eyes burned with some kind of inner fire, and I knew that Pen hadn't been kidding when she'd said she was passionate about workplace equality. 'Tell me if anything like that happens at the FBI again, okay? Because I'm not having it.'

I nodded, thinking back to our previous conversation that morning. 'But if I ever did turn up at the BAU, I'm either answering questions on another dead patient or I'm in major trouble - '

'I'm hoping we'll be able to stop the former.' She said, with a serious look on her face. 'And I highly doubt that you would turn up the BAU for an interrogation.'

'Why? Have you profiled me?' I asked, teasingly. 'Am I a serial killer?'

'No,' she said with a grin. 'You're a professional, hard working doctor who is meticulously organized and has two very adorable children.' I raised an eyebrow at this. How had she got all that?

'You're always conscious about the time, hence the watch on your wrist, because you don't want to be late or miss any patients. You tided up the desk - moved the pens and the litter - suggesting you like everything to be in its proper place. And judging from how much energy and vigor you put into your job, you are incredibly hard working.'

'And the adorable children?' I prompted, as the ping of the elevators echoed up the corridor, feeling my cheeks heat at her compliments.

'Rossi wouldn't stop blabbing about them for a good ten minutes.' She said with a smile. 'And thanks for the cookies, by the way, I was in desperate need of a sugar fix. And I think Reid had a foodgasm.'

The marching of footsteps dragged me away from Emily and I saw Aaron walking over to Emily while tucking his phone into his jacket pocket.

'Dr. Harmon,' he said, nodding to me, as a way of introduction and I nodded back. He then turned to Emily.

'Rossi, Morgan and JJ are starting to question some of the patients, see if they have noticed anything over the past week. And Reid is working on a geographical profile.'

'I might have a new suspect for the top of the list.' Emily said with a smirk, winking at me. 'Bartholomew's office is opposite the stairwell. That would give him ideal access for moving around the hospital. And he's emotionless, meaning he could pass for a psychopath and would be capable of murder.'

I knew that Aaron was going to throw this comment back in Emily's face but he remained quiet for a moment, staring her in the eyes.

'It's not just you who doesn't like him, you know.' Aaron said sternly and my brows furrowed. I'd become used to his stoic personality and had always forgotten that, obviously, he too could have stand-offs with people. He then took his notebook from his jacket pocket and penciled in Evan's name at the top of a list of hospital employees. I suppressed my grin. He might not be cracking jokes every other minute, but that didn't mean he had no sense of humour.

'I do hope Agent Prentiss isn't impeding any of your work with her questions, Dr. Harmon.' Aaron said, looking up at me as he closed his notebook. 'I can understand that you are probably very busy and I don't want our investigation to inconvenience you.' Was it just me or could I detect a hint of colour in Aaron's cheeks. Nah, it was the dodgy lighting.

'No, Agent Prentiss wasn't doing anything of the sort.' I retrieved one of the twelve gloves from my pocket. 'I was just taking a break. I think there might be a glove thief as well as a murderer stalking the halls. We had a new order of 200 two weeks ago and now I can find twelve. I know that we use them a lot, but that's just ridiculous.' I suddenly noticed Emily and Aaron's intense glare on the glove in my hand.

'Can I see one of those?' Aaron asked, and I passed him one, completely uncertain as to the reason why. He held it in is palm and locked eyes with Emily.

'What is it?' I asked, puzzled.

'A scrap of material was found next to Mina Diaz's body.' Aaron explained. 'It's still in the lab being identified because the motel room was so contaminated...'

'But it looked an awful lot like latex. Latex that had been shredded.' Emily finished and I noticed Aaron's face tighten for a moment. 'And I'd put money on this matching the sample at the lab.'

'You can take one and test it, if you want?' I said, thinking how bizarre that sounded. I grabbed a plastic bag that happened to be sitting on Kelly's desk and passed it to Aaron. I figured that stuffing the glove into his jacket pocket would only contaminate it more, right?

'Thank you.' He said with a nod, and carefully put the glove inside.

'Who has access to that store room?' Emily asked, flipping open her notebook.

'Every employee basically.' I said with a sigh. 'Each floor has its own store cupboard for each floor's specific purpose and there is the master storeroom on the ground floor, but any employee at all. We specifically use these gloves on this floor though because they're kinder to patients...' I said, looking from Emily and Aaron to ensure they knew what I meant by 'kinder to patients'.

'So not every floor uses this specific type of glove?'

'No. Some floors use thicker gloves that are most robust and...' I trailed off, the realization hitting me straight in the chest. 'Predominantly, it's this floor and the ground floor that use these types of gloves.'

'So if we're right about this, the killer either works on this floor or the ground floor. Probably.' I didn't let the shock show on my face, but inside all my muscles were clenching. The killer was getting a lot closer than I was comfortable with.

'Or the killer could be switching floors, to avoid suspicion.' Aaron pointed out and I wondered if he'd been able to read my cold expression. Emily seemed fixed on the idea though.

'What departments are there on this floor and the ground floor?'

'On this floor there's gynecology, family planning and a few of the surgery rooms. The ground floor is mostly areas for the public to use - the canteen, waiting rooms. But there's also physiotherapy and some of the emergency wards.' Emily was scribbling like a fiend and I felt like her pen was scratching a hole into my skull.

'We'll need to contact Garcia and get an employee list for those departments.' Aaron said and Emily nodded, now fueled by a new energy.

'If our current timeline is right, then the killer should strike again in the next 24 hours.' This struck a icicle into my chest. 24 hours before I lost another patient or colleague.

'Do you know why he's doing this?' I asked slowly. 'Do you know why he's killing these people?' Aaron and Emily shared a look.

'We aren't sure of his motivations yet, but we're working very hard and it's only a matter of time.' Aaron said and I nodded. I was sure they were working very hard. But that didn't answer any of my questions or calm any of my worries.

'We know that this guy is a sadistic killer and that he's not going to stop until his motivations are fulfilled or until he's reached his own personal goal.' Emily said bluntly. She always said things like they were. I admired that.

I think I'd needed to hear the truth. That there was a psychopathic killer stalking the halls of St. Addison's and that he wasn't going to stop killing until he was caught.

\- Comment your thoughts! Love you guys ;)


	15. Quattuordecim

I slammed the car door and hurried up the path leading to the girls' school, clicking the locked button on my keys without looking back. The tune of 'Consider Yourself' echoed around my head as I tried to calm my racing heartbeat. I looked down at my watch to see that the school day had just finished. I folded my arms, jutting my hip out, and started scanning the streams of emerging children for any sign of Lola and Lexi.

I'd received a frantic phone call, not 20 minutes ago, from my mother. Her dental appointment was going to overrun so she wouldn't be able to pick the girls up from school like she usually did. My father was still at work and Joe and Aimee were across town busking in a local park, despite both having worked this morning. So I'd finished up with my patient, jumped in my car and drove to the school, with the intention of dropping the girls of at my parent's house - by which time my mother would have returned from the dentist - and heading back to work before I'd delayed my next patient by too long. But I'd been seeing Karla Morris for almost two years, and I knew that she was pretty easy going.

I hadn't seen any of the BAU team for the rest of the afternoon, mainly because I was too busy dealing with my packed schedule of patients. I also hadn't seen Evan for the entirety of the afternoon which was rare because he always found time to throw a few sarcastic comments my way, even when he was between operations. I had a sneaking suspicion that Emily may have talked to him, but I couldn't be sure. His commentary did get to me occasionally, even though I never admitted it, and I might be able to conduct my life a little better now, knowing that he wasn't actively trying to verbally kill me.

As for life at the hospital, it seems that the BAU's movements had begun to subconsciously influence me. I was now constantly looking out for anyone who seemed suspicious or fit the BAU's basic profile. The niggling voice was always in the back of my mind whenever I spoke to any of my male colleagues or saw any male patients - could they be the killer? I just wanted the person responsible to be caught as soon as humanly possible because he was getting too close to my friends and colleagues for my liking.

I looked back towards the streams of children. The only thing that I had found able to keep my mind away from the murders was Lola and Lexi. And speaking of the girls, where were they? They were well known for being among the first group of children out so why was today any different?

My heart beginning to beat a little faster, I agitatedly began combing through the swarms of children for any sign of my two blonde clones. They were both sensible; they wouldn't just wander off. Then where the hell were they?

Just as my breathing was beginning to get erratic, I heard a giggle that re-established my faith in humanity. It was Lola. I looked over to where the sound had come from and stood on the fringe of the crowd, hidden behind a group of trees was Lola and Lexi, immersed in conversation with Jack with Aaron stood next to them, still dressed in his suit, his eyes scanning the crowd of parents.

See, it's fate Lizzy. I banished this thought from my mind and hurried over to them, my internal clock telling me that I needed to leave in the next five minutes in order to make it back to the hospital on time.

'I thought I heard something!' I teased and Lola and Lexi stumbled over to me and wrapped their arms around my waist. 'I didn't know where you'd gone!'

'Sorry,' Lola said, looking down at her pink shoed feet.

'It's okay, sweetie.' I said hurriedly, squeezing her shoulder. 'I knew you wouldn't have just wandered off.' The girls became wrapped up in conversation with Jack again about a cartoon TV show featuring a talking turtle who solves mysteries so I turned to Aaron.

'I'm sorry for coercing your children away.' He said jokingly and I smiled.

'It's okay. I won't call child services or anything.'

'Mommy? You finish work early tomorrow because it's a Thursday, don't you?' Lola looked up at me, a smile on her face and I noticed that Jack was staring at me too.

'Yes I do. Why?' I furrowed my brows, my eyes narrowing. There was definitely an ulterior motive to that question.

'I was wondering if Jack could come for tea.' Lola said smiling and I instantly knew that he could. Lola's best friend since kindergarten had moved away three months ago and I knew that she'd struggled to make friends after that.

I suddenly realised that she might mistake my silence for a no. 'It's not me you need to ask.' I said, looking over at Aaron with a smile on my face.

'Please can I go Dad?' Jack begged. 'I'll be good, I promise.'

'Please let him come,' Lola said smiling and I knew that no human would be able to resist their charms.

'PLEASE!' Lexi yelled, jumping up and down excitedly and shaking her fists. I looked over at Aaron, his face remarkably passive, with my eyebrows raised and shrugged.

'How can I say no to that?' He said with a smile and the girls and Jack started cheering. I held in a chuckle and began wondering whether Jack liked Enchiladas, which were what I planned to cook for dinner.

'That would actually be quite helpful.' Aaron said, as the kids began chatting excitedly about tomorrow and giggling among themselves. 'I could spend some extra time on the case. That is, if you're sure you're okay looking after Jack?'

'Of course, it'll be no problem.' I said with a nod. 'How is the case going?' I still wasn't used to talking about federal business as part of my daily life so I began looking around as though someone was eavesdropping on our conversation. Because two parents picking their kids up from school radiated suspicion.

'The glove is still being tested, but we're fairly sure that it will be a match. That means we can narrow down our suspect list to employees and patients on the ground and fourth floor of the hospital.'

'That's still over 200 names,' I said, mentally adding the numbers.

'But it's less than we started with.' Aaron said determinedly. 'And Reid's been working overtime to try and establish a connection between the victims and to figure out what the un-sub's fantasy is.'

'Fantasy? Un-sub?' I guessed that they were more terms used among the BAU.

'The reason that the un-sub is killing these women. He wants to achieve something, create something. That's why he choses the specific victims. And un-sub refers to unknown subject. That's just what we call the killer as part of the investigation.'

I nodded. The only positive I could find within the murders and being involved with the BAU was that I was learning a whole new vocabulary.

'I hate to admit it, but there isn't all that much evidence for us to use. And that means that we're going to need another body in order to make any headway.'

'You'll find something, I know you will.' I said, confidently, looking over at the kids who were still animatedly talking and weren't the slightest bit bothered in our conversation.

'How are you faring?' Aaron asked suddenly and I blinked, unsure to what he was referring to. 'I know it can't be easy to see two patients and a colleague killed.'

'I'm fine.' I stuttered, plastering a smile on my face. But there was a gnawing in my stomach that reminded me I was lying. 'I mean - it's a bit un-nerving knowing that there is a killer walking the halls and it could be anyone. But I'm staying positive and concentrating on work. And trying to stop looking over my shoulder.' I said, with a nervous chuckle.

'We'll find the guy...' Aaron said, as if to try and comfort me.

'I know you will.' But, as had been happening a lot lately, this wasn't doing much to calm the nerves that were brewing in my stomach.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Cast of Oliver! - Consider Yourself

\- I love you guys!


	16. Quindecim

With deadly precision, I inserted the thread through the eye of the needle and pulled it through, the TV blaring in the background. I could tell that Jack and the girls were close because they'd allowed him to pick the movie from their treasured collection - and this was a privilege that they kept strictly between themselves. And now I knew that they'd possibly grown even closer on the account of Jack choosing an excellent movie and a brilliant musical at that - A Hundred and One Dalmatians.

I started re-stitching the hem of a jumper that I'd loved wearing about three years ago, but now hardly ever took out of my closet. That was the story of most of the clothes strewn across the kitchen table. And before I passed them off to the local women's shelter, I just wanted to make sure that they were all in good condition and hadn't been butchered by moths.

As I finished the hem, the words of the song whirring round my head, I looked up at the large vintage clock that hung above the table. The time was approaching 9pm. Aaron had said that he'd pick Jack up at around 7 and I couldn't help wondering if something had happened.

I assumed that he'd simply got kept behind at work, and that was completely understandable when he was one of the people tasked with finding a serial killer. He was probably knee-deep in unanswered questions and theories and wanted to use every spare second to spend with his team.

The other reason was staring me right in the face, but I didn't want to consider it - that they had found another body and were now dealing with the aftermath. Emily had said that the killer - the un-sub - was bound to strike again in the next 24 hours. And while the team could do with further evidence, I did not want that to be at the expense of a patient or colleague's life. This reason was beginning to sound all the more probable though because I somehow doubted that Aaron would be the type to get completely caught up in paperwork and lose track of time.

I took a sip of the pineapple juice that was in my mug - I'd told myself it really wasn't good to drink hot chocolate every day of the week - and moved on to trimming some stray threads of a pair of tailored maternity trousers that I'd for some reason kept after having Lexi. It wasn't that I was completely ruling out having any more children, although right now it looked a little unlikely, but more that they were hanging in my closet and waiting to be worn again whereas someone else could be wearing them in the meantime.

'Mrs. Harmon?' I looked up and saw Jack staring at me over the cup of his juice. He'd been calling me this all afternoon, despite my efforts to tell him that I wasn't actually married and he could just call me Lizzy. I'd also noticed that he shared his dad's glare and to be honest, it sort of scared me.

'Yes, honey?'

'What time is my dad picking me up?' The kids hadn't moved from the sofa in the last 30 minutes and I knew that Lola and Jack must be beginning to feel sleepy. And in Lexi's case, I was praying that she also felt sleepy and actually wanted to go to bed, which was a very rare occurrence.

'Soon, Jack. I promise.' I said, smiling.

'But what if he doesn't pick me up?'

'Then you can have a sleepover.' I said, firmly. 'And he will pick you up, I promise. He's probably just got a little busy at work, okay?' Jack nodded and turned back to the film, taking another sip of his drink.

Jack was a really lovely kid and I was very happy that he and Lola, and therefore Lexi, had become friends. Although, he had been asking me non-stop questions since I'd picked him up from school and the obsessive part of my mind had begun to wonder whether Aaron had told him to discover as much as he could about me and then report back to him.

'Do you know what my dad's doing at work?' Jack asked suddenly and I worried about what to tell them. I didn't want to give them nightmares because there was a killer walking around but I also didn't want to lie to them.

'He's trying to catch a bad man.' I said, after a moment. I'd already explained to the girls that Aaron worked for the FBI.

'Is it the man who's been killing people?' Lola asked, perking up from the other side of the sofa. 'I saw it on the news.' Lola really was very attentive for an 8 year old. I bit my lip for a moment, struggling with how much I should tell them.

'Yes, he's working very hard to catch him. And that's why he's so busy and works so late.' Jack had already told me that he was looked after by a childminder or one of the neighbors during weeknights and I knew it couldn't be easy on either of them to see so little of the other.

'Will they catch him, Mommy?' Lexi murmured, her eyes wide and all three of them were staring intently at me. And while they were probably trying to hide it, I could see the fear and worry in their expressions.

'Of course he will.' I promised, smiling wide. 'Jack's daddy is very good at his job and so are the people that he works with, okay?' The kids nodded and tentatively turned back to the film. I hated what this man had done. I hated that he'd managed to inject fear into three innocent children.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and I dropped the purple cardigan that was missing a button and peered through the peephole to see Aaron tapping his feet agitatedly against my porch.

'He's here, Jack!' I called, unlocking the door and swinging it open. The fall nights were beginning to get longer and in recent days I'd noticed that night seemed to appear all too soon. 'Hey,'

'I am so, so sorry - ' Aaron stammered, stepping inside, bypassing any form of greeting. 'I didn't notice how late it was and I got distracted and - '

'It's okay, really. I don't mind.' I said, shutting the door. 'You're in the FBI - you're not going to have a normal 9 till 5 job.'

'I still feel really guilty.' Aaron said, shuffling across the floor with his hands in his pocket. 'I'm so sorry that - '

'Hey Dad!' Jack shouted, running from his place on the sofa to hug Aaron around his waist and Aaron leaned down to gently ruffle his hair.

'Hey buddy, how you doing? Have you had a good day?' Jack nodded and laughed as Aaron tickled him under his chin.

'He's been as good as gold.' I said with a smile, folding my arms. 'I didn't even notice he was here. Have you had a good time?'

'Yeah - ' Jack said, smiling up and me.

'And that's all that matters.'

'Go and get your shoes on, buddy - ' Aaron said, detatching Jack from his side.

'They're just in the hall - ' I called, as he padded off to find his sneakers.

'I'm still sorry about being so late.' Aaron continued. 'It was the case and - '

'Stop. Apologising.' I said firmly, looking him squarely in the eyes. They were so dark they looked almost black and I could imagine him glaring an un-sub into confessing quite easily. 'The kids had a good time, they got spend time with people their own age outside of school and I've had a pretty peaceful evening and I even got to finish my book. You can stop apologising. I get it. You're chasing a murderer.'

Aaron's face seemed to relax a little and the brief moment of silence passed between us. 'I was late because we found another body.' He said suddenly and I felt a little colour drain from my face.

'Have you identified her?' I asked, my voice quivering slightly. Who? Who was it? Who had he got? Aaron nodded.

'She was wearing her ID card. Her name was Zoey Leighton. She was - '

'A receptionist.' I interrupted, thinking back to this morning when I'd passed Zoey at her post, the main desk in the foyer. I never could have guessed that in 12 hours she would have been dead. 'I hadn't worked a day at the hospital that she hadn't worked either.'

'I'm sorry.' Aaron said and I nodded. It was another one of my colleagues killed pointlessly and there was no real way of knowing who was next.

'Was it the same way as the others? How she was killed?' I stuttered, noticing how fragile and croaky my voice sounded. Aaron nodded again. 'Where was she found?'

'In her apartment.'

'Do you know anything else?'

'The results came back on the piece of latex found near Mina Diaz's body. It's the same type of material that the gloves are made from. It's practically identical. This gives us a strong indication that the un-sub works on either the ground or fourth floor and he's using the gloves to ensure he doesn't leave any DNA or fingerprints at the scene. We're going to start running that list in the morning.'

'Good.' I murmured, my mind numb to the fact that Zoey wouldn't be stood there behind the desk in the morning when I arrived for work. She'd never set foot in that hospital again.

'Reid also had a breakthrough. He thinks he knows how the un-sub picks his victims.'

'How?' I was mentally preparing for a list of criteria and then I could help to protect myself and the rest of my colleagues and patients.

'Each woman represents one of the seven deadly sins. Sara Barkley was pride, Claire Harper was sloth and Mina Diaz was lust. And we think Zoey Leighton was gluttony.' I hadn't been expecting this revelation but Aaron continued. 'Reid thinks that the un-sub believes he is doing good by ridding the world of sin.'

'And the victims, in his eyes, embody a sin.' I half spat. It wasn't his place to decide who lived and who died.

'We're still unsure of the connection the un-sub had to each individual woman but we can be certain that they met through work. He matches certain aspects of their personalities to the sins and then targets them.' Jack suddenly padded back into the room, his shoes on his feet.

'I'm ready, Dad.'

'Alright buddy. We're going in just a minute, okay? Say goodbye to everyone - ' Jack nodded and shuffled over to where Lola and Lexi were slumped on the sofa, still engrossed in the film.

'That's really good progress.' I said, trying to lighten my voice as I noticed how dull I sounded. 'I told you something would come up.'

'I just didn't want anyone else to die for us to get it.' I noticed Aaron's eyes furrow slightly on something behind me, but then softened again. I turned and saw that he had been staring at the bundle of clothes scattered across the tabletop.

'I was just mending some of them before I take them down to the women's shelter.' I clarified, ready to explain that I was actually a very organized person. But his eyes moved away from the table behind me as his posture stiffened, as though he was slightly embarrassed that I'd called him out on it.

'Come on then, buddy.' Aaron said, clearing his throat. 'Let's let these good people enjoy the rest of their evening.' Lola called to Jack that she'd see him tomorrow and I moved to unlock the door.

'If there's anything I can do, to make up for being late - ' I gave him a sharp look and he trailed off, holding his hands up in exasperation. 'What? I'm sorry!'

'Stop. Apologising.' I replied, my voice adamant but a smile creeped onto my lips. I knew that Pen would be thinking a whole manner of dirty things that I could say in retaliation, but I ignored all her suggestions.

'I'll see you soon Jack, okay?' Jack nodded and I smiled. 'And stop calling me Mrs. Harmon! Call me Lizzy!' Jack smiled lazily, clinging onto Aaron's leg. I smirked and looked back up at Aaron. 'There is one thing you could do for me.' I said, surprised by my own forwardness.

'Anything.' Aaron said, sincerely, his eyes widening.

'Catch the guy responsible for killing my friends.'

FEATURED SONGS:  
Bill Lee - Cruella De Vil

\- Thanks for reading! Be sure to comment your thoughts!


	17. Sedecim

I charged down the stairs, hopping over the penultimate step which squeaked and hastened to answer my phone. I'd just managed to get Lexi to stay in bed for more than one minute and I wasn't about to let the ringing abomination that was the cellphone destroy that. I'd changed my ringtone that day to a song that I'd heard on the radio and very much enjoyed - mainly because I'd realised how many times a day my phone rang and I didn't want to grow to hate Wilson Pickett.

'Hello?' I gasped, trying to catch my breath. Considering I religiously attended a weekly dance class, I really wasn't very fit.

'Hey Lizzy, it's me.' I collapsed onto the sofa at the sound of Penelope's voice. 'Are you alright? You sound out of breath.'

'That's because I just ran down all the stairs in about 4 seconds. I just put Lexi to bed.' I turned the volume down on the TV and listened for the shuffling of footsteps above me which meant Lexi was up. There were none.

'Sorry, I'm always being a pain, aren't I?'

'No! I like you calling, you're like a radiant sunbeam.'

'Well, I don't come bearing good tidings, sweetie. We found another body.' Despite already knowing this, my heart still skipped a beat and I swallowed the hard lump that had formed in my throat.

'I know.' I murmured, lying down and cushioning my head on a large blush pink satin pillow that was one of my favourite soft furnishings in the entire house because blush pink was my favourite colour. 'Aaron told me.'

'Hotch? Really?' She sounded very confused. 'Did he ring you or something? He doesn't usually keep informants up to date with the case.'

'No, I was looking after his son, Jack. He's in the same class as Lola, they're really good friends. Apparently. I didn't know until I bumped into him in the supermarket.' I don't know why I felt so defensive about meeting with Aaron. 'I knew that something must have happened when he turned up two hours later than expected to pick Jack up. I got the impression that he usually sticks to his timings.'

The line stayed quiet for a few moments and I thought that Pen had hung up on me. 'So, you're like, Hotch's childminder now?' She asked, an amused jilt in her voice. I could see her sat at home, smiling like a maniac, with an obscure noir film playing in the background.

'No. Jack just came round for tea. We had enchiladas.' I knew that she wouldn't be bothered with my dinner option, but I was trying to drag her away from the topic of me and Aaron.

'That's amazing.' She laughed and I rolled my eyes. 'I have to tell Emily. And JJ.'

'Why does this concern Agent Prentiss and Agent Jareau?' I questioned. 'A minute ago we were talking about a dead body.'

'Because, my darling, Emily has been cataloguing some very interesting exchanges between you and Hotch. Like when he was sticking up for you against douchey McDouche-face.' This was her affectionate nickname for Evan. 'And the way he asked if he was interrupting your work, because he's just so considerate.'

'He was just being a decent human being.' I insisted, thinking back to our previous interactions. He'd simply been being professional.

'Hotch being a decent human being is him being silent and intimidatingly glaring at you. That was different. I think he likes you.'

'I'm not even thinking about it.' I spluttered, pushing the thought from my mind. 'And anyway, I'm not about to go and ask him out in the middle of a quadruple murder investigation.' A screeching yell echoed down the phone line and I cringed slightly, anchoring the phone further away from me.

'So you DO want to ask him out!' Pen laughed and I inwardly groaned. 'Admit it, you like him too.'

'I may have a very small crush on the man but that does not mean I'm about to use the L word and propose tomorrow. And we know how my first two proposals went.' I said firmly.

'One of them had a mental breakdown and relapsed back to drinking and drugs and the other was still married and was cheating on her with you.' Pen stated matter-of-factly and I almost winced at her blunt representation of my last two significant romantic encounters.

'Exactly. So romantic.'

'Hotch would never do that! He's really lovely...' Pen explained.

'I know he wouldn't do that but I also thought Clint and Mike were nice guys and look how that turned out.' Pen didn't reply for a moment and I bit my lip, noticing that the conversation had taken a bit of a dark turn. 'And anyway, why are we on the topic of marriage? I only have a crush on him. A very small one...'

'And you're already looking after his kid, so it's only a matter of time before things escalate.'

'Yeah, it's all go! First stop, have his kid over for dinner. Next, we'll be married!' I said sarcastically and Pen giggled.

'Do you think he's hot?' She asked teasingly and I inwardly groaned, wondering how this conversation managed to move on to my opinions of Aaron Hotchner. 'Well, Lizzy?'

'Maybe.' I muttered, his face appearing in my mind. I always seemed to fall for the tall, dark and handsome types and Aaron was the epitome of this. Boy, was the man good looking.

'Maybe is not an answer.' It was times like this that I really cursed Pen for being so adamant.

'Yes, I think he's attractive. Like, seriously. He puts the Hot in Hotchner.'

'Aww, Lizzy's in love!'

'I've known the man a week! We hardly have a strong relationship.'

'You can form a connection with someone in ten seconds.' Pen said, wisely. 'It doesn't matter how long you've known them.'

'I'm still not penciling in the date that I ask him out.' I said, determined.

'But you would if he wasn't chasing a murderer?'

'Maybe! I don't know. He's in the FBI, he's probably very busy.' Because you're not very busy either, are you Lizzy? You know, working full time and managing to keep two small humans alive.

'He might be busy but he still has free weekends!' Pen sang. 'Just like you! You could go on a cute lunch date with the kids.'

'I have bigger things to worry about at the moment than my love life.' I said, flatly. 'And I'm sure he does too.' The reality of the situation hit me - he was still involved in a murder case. 'You sound tired, Pen. You should get some sleep. There's still a killer to catch.'

'How are you finding it, honey?' Pen asked suddenly, somehow managing to twist the conversation back to me. 'Knowing that there's a killer at work?' I'd been telling everyone that I was fine and that it was only worrying me a little, but that wasn't half of it.

'Truthfully?'

'Truthfully.'

'It's terrifying.'

'Oh, hon - '

'I keep looking over my shoulder, which is stupid because he's not going to jump me in the corridor. And I keep staring at all my male colleagues and the male relatives and the tech guys and the delivery men and wondering if they're capable of murder. You must think I'm silly, you guys deal with his all the time - '

'We don't really. All FBI employees have to go through extensive background checks.' I smirked a little and let out a sigh. 'And I know it's hard, hon. It's on every media network and JJ is struggling to keep a cap on everything. All the media attention is just breeding more panic and the hotline is being overrun with panicking hospital staff who are convinced their co-workers are murderers.'

'The kids are getting scared which makes me scared and I - ' I stopped mid-sentence, taking a breath. 'Please just catch the guy, Pen. I don't know how long I can do this.'

'I promise we'll get the guy, Lizzy. I promise, we will. Well, with the help of the dashing and handsome Agent Hotchner, we're bound to!' She teased and I rolled my eyes, feeling a smile slip onto my face.

Even when I was feeling scared, I could always rely on Pen to make me smile - even if we were both laughing at the state of my love life and the slight crush that I had on Aaron. The crush that, even though I hated to admit it, had grown a little bigger in the last few days.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Charlie Puth - Then There's You

\- I hope you enjoyed this!


	18. Septendecim

Taking a sharp intake of breath I hurried the girls inside, wrapping my coat tighter around myself. My dance class had been cancelled as Sue was on a three day camping trip up the Blue Ridge Mountains so, sick of sitting at home feeling scared, I'd decided to take the girls along to a service at our local church. Not because I was trying to force my religion onto them but because I wanted them to know that the church was a safe place filled with friendly faces. And I figured that the girls could do with some calm after the recent events.

My church was slightly unorthodox in the fact that as well as holding services on Sunday, you could attend on a Tuesday or a Friday too. And attending on a weekly basis had been regimented into my childhood and teenage years. While I couldn't always take the girls as regularly or as routinely as this, I did make an effort to show my face as often as I could. If not for the hymns and the prayers, then for the familiar people and kind words.

Gently shutting the door behind me, I soaked up the warmth from the candles, dim lighting and discretely hidden heaters that surrounded the small church. It was considered small, despite the fact it could sit around 100 people with further standing room for another 70. It had been built around 200 years ago and while the sparkling stained glass windows that lined the walls showed no sign of aging, the creaking of the pews was beginning to get more noticeable and I wasn't sure how much longer we could ignore the menagerie of animals that were roosting in the eaves.

I hadn't expected the church to be too busy at 7pm on a Friday night, but it was bustling with bodies and vibrating with a low hum of chatter. Many of the pews looked to be stocked full and the last thing I wanted was to stand at the back with one dozy child and one hyperactive one. I turned to accept an Order of Service from Janice who had handed out the pieces of card for as long as I could remember, my eyes darting along the pews near the back, hoping that one would have enough space for three bodies. I spotted a half empty pew at the far corner of the church, its only occupant leaning against the wall, cloaked in shadow. I sighed with relief.

'Come on, you two - ' I urged the girls forward who had began quietly bickering about who was going to sit nearest the end of the pew. I weaved my way through the crowds, checking behind me after every to second to check that the girls hadn't been separated from me. We reached the opposite end of the church which was the least favorable among the congregation considering the distance from the heaters and I nudged my away along the pew, conscious of the dark-skinned man who sat hunched over, his hands clasped in prayer.

'How about Lexi sits nearest the end this time - ' I said, dropping my bag next to me and turning to face the girls. Lexi threw Lola a triumphant glare and plopped herself down at the end of the pew, 'And Lola can sit nearest the end next time. Okay?' Lola nodded glumly but perked up a little as I wrapped my arm around her and gave her a squeeze. I turned to face the man, to say some form of hello, when I was realised I was staring into the face of Derek Morgan. How had I not realised before?

'Agent Morgan.' I said, noticing the tone of surprise in my voice but dampened this with a smile. Derek looked just as surprised to see me, but he didn't say anything.

'Dr. Harmon.' He replied, nodding his head in welcome.

'Are we alright sitting here?' I asked, looked hesitantly between him and the girls who were now bickering over who held the Order of Service. But then again, even if he said no, I wasn't going anyway.

'Of course.'

I clasped my hands and closed my eyes, bowing my head slightly. I prayed that the murders would end and that the families and friends of the victims would be able to find peace. I prayed that all famine, drought and disease would come to an end and that we would all lower our guns and stop fighting among ourselves and help those who were in desperate need of help and support. I also prayed for Aimee and Joe to have a successful audition next week.

I blinked my eyes open and pulled my striped black skirt further down my legs so it fell to around my mid-shin. I wished I had worn a thicker jumper because my black sweater really wasn't doing much to obstruct the cold.

'It's very busy today.' Derek said suddenly, looking up at me. 'I don't think I've ever seen so many people here all at once.' I nodded in agreement, looking round at the countless number of people squashed onto each pews.

'I think it's the murders. They're scaring everyone. Now, they're looking for hope. And protection.' My voice was low and quiet and I didn't know if Derek would be able to hear me over the din but his fallen expression told me that he had.

'The jerk's been killing a week and all we know is that he wears gloves and thinks he is doing the world a favour.' I bit my lip and forced a small smile onto my face.

'I'm sure you know more than that.' I said, comfortingly. 'I think you should give yourself more credit. Rome wasn't built in a day. Murderers aren't caught overnight.' I wasn't quite sure where this analogy had come from but I decided to run with it. 'You've narrowed the search from the entire population of Virginia to around 120 people. If that's not impressive, then I don't know what is.'

Derek didn't reply but I noticed that he didn't seem as flat as he had a minute ago. I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked over at Lola, her blue-gloved hands folded in her lap. 'Do you know him?' She asked, her voice quiet as her eyes darted between Derek and me. I nodded.

'He works with Jack's dad.' I explained and I saw her face light up a little. 'He's trying to catch the bad man too.'

'Oh.' I turned to look at Derek who was staring at me with his eyebrow raised.

'Jack's dad?'

'Aaron.' I said, although as soon as the word's left my mouth I knew that he was probably very aware who Jack's dad was. 'Lola and Jack are in the same class at school. They're friends. Although I didn't know that until we bumped into them at the supermarket, did I?' Lola had a smirk on her face and I chuckled.

Derek had an expression on his face that I couldn't read and I cursed these profilers for being so good and disguising their emotions.

'You'll get 'im.' I said, turning the conversation back away from the relationship I had with Aaron. 'You're all amazing at your jobs. You'll find him.'  Derek looked down and shook his head.

'Hate to admit it myself, but we're not likely to before he kills again.' I looked up over the bustling congregation and felt something settle inside of me.

'That's what they believe.' I said, nodding out towards the congregation. 'Hope. That something will change. That something will happen. And I believe that too.'

'Some people are quickly losing hope.' Derek said ruefully, rubbing his knuckles together. 'And all the news coverage isn't helping...'

'You'll find something. I'm sure of it. Reid will have another crazy breakthrough. Penelope will hack into his bank account. I'll find him sharpening his knife in the inventory closest. You'll find something. I know you will.'

My head shot away from Derek to look up at the pulpit where the vicar now stood, his booming voice silencing the mumbles of the congregation.

I was sure that something would come up. That was the one thing I always held onto. Hope.

And funnily enough, because the universe wanted to have a chuckle every now and then, my middle name was that too.

Lizanne Hope Harmon.

\- I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to comment your suggestions.


	19. Duodeviginti

I dunked my hands into the soapy suds, wiping the remnants of the gravy and beef residue from the plate before handing it to my mother who was armed with a cloth decorated with sea turtles and I was sure had been picked up at a yard sale. Through the open door, I could hear my sister and brother belting out my favourite song from 'Rent' as my father quizzed Lola on animals and Lexi raced a pair of cars along the musty carpet.

'Was dinner alright? I used a different type of potato than I normally do.' My mother asked me as I passed her a spoon and a fork that I'd retrieved from the soapy abyss. My parents did own a dishwasher but every time they used it, the lights fused so we'd all agreed that it was on its way out. And I'd already planned to buy a new one for my father's birthday in November.

'Dinner was lovely, thank you.' I said, thinking back to the cottage pie and mixed veg concoction that I had devoured half an hour earlier. The time was nearing 6pm and was planning on making tracks soon, so that me and the girls could properly have our weekend Disney movie marathon, complete with popcorn and milkshakes.

'Have you seen the TV remote? My gardening program starts any minute.' My father sauntered into the kitchen, his glasses poised dangerously on top of his head and my mother threw the dish cloth sharply over her shoulder.

'Why would I have seen it?'

'You were the one who was going around moving things!' He exclaimed and my mother scrunched her nose up, ignored my father and turned back to me, taking the plate from my hands.

'It's called tidying up. You should try it some time.' She mumbled under her breath despite the fact that my father was stood less than a foot away. The kitchen, while attractively decorated in pale blue, was rather small.

'These gardening documentaries are the whole reason that Deidre said our geraniums looked so nice. I need to watch them and I can't find the remote.'

'Poor you. Have you put your glasses on?' My mother teased and I smirked. I didn't realise just how much I enjoyed and almost missed my parents' banter until I encountered it. The girls did make extremely good company but the house did feel a little empty sometimes. I'd often considered a dog, but with regret I'd had to be firm with myself. I was at work all day. I couldn't possibly care for two children and a dog.

'Deidre complemented you? Wow. That's impressive.' My parents had been in competition with Deidre and Jerome Flatwood from across the road for what seemed like the last 5 years. And the main point of their arguments was their gardens.

The Flatwoods had first employed their gardener Stuart about three years ago, and had since basically accepted him as part of their family, despite the fact he spoke very little English and mostly spoke Spanish. However, their garden was always pristinely maintained and expertly mowed and my mother had begun to feel slightly inferior and not being one to be made to feel belittled had ordered my father to knuckle down alongside in making their garden better than theirs.

Now, considering the fact that both my parents were in their 60s this was no mean feat. But they'd never employ their own gardener because firstly, they wanted the satisfaction of winning against the Flatwoods on their own terms. And secondly, we'd had gardeners when I'd been growing up and things had never run smoothly with any of them.

'Yes, it is very impressive. And it was I who spent my entire weekend planting them and making sure they had the correct soil to rock ratio...'

'It's your fault we're even having to spend our entire weekends planting geraniums!' My mother insisted. 'If you hadn't been having that ridiculous conversation with Jerome about his new car, this never would have happened!'

'That's rich, considering you were the one who commented on her new front door and how it was bound to show its age.'

'You do know that this isn't an actual war, right? You're both just so competitive and so stubborn that you're now constantly trying to up each other. And there isn't even a prize!' I said, breaking up the conversation before the blaming started to become insulting. My parents both had very sharp tongues and weren't afraid to show this when it suited them.

'LIZZY! LIZZY!' I handed my mother the last of the plates and rolled my eyes as the bellowing voice of Aimee echoed from the living room. She could not only belt out song lyrics, but spoken words too.

'Yeah?' I called, wiping my hands on a dry cloth because I didn't want to destroy the material of my blush jumper or tarnish my navy jeans.

'WE NEED YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE CLEVER AND KNOW WORDS AND ARE A DOCTOR OF MEDICINE!' I rolled my eyes again as I ducked under my father's arm who was leaning against the door frame and glaring at my mother. I was positive that the TV remote had been commandeered by Lexi or Lola and one of them was probably sat on it so no one could change the channel from their favourite cartoon.

'You are a doctor of medicine, aren't you?' Aimee asked as I rounded the corner. She was sat crossed legged on the floor in the band room, an array of sheet music spread out on the floor before her. As well as singing, Joe and Nathan could also play the guitar, the drums and the piano - and Aimee could stumble through the cello - so it was common to find a sea of sheet music coating the floor. Joe, on the other hand, was laying down on the sofa in the living room, Lexi perched on his round stomach.

'Yes, I am. What's up?'

'Is it unorganized or disorganized? I know it's disorganized but Joe keeps being a moron and saying I'm wrong.'

'You are wrong!' Joe blurted. 'It's unorganized, right Lizzy?'

'It's not!'

'It is! Don't listen to her Lizzy! She's the one who thought an egg-plant actually grew eggs.' Joe teased, smirking.

'Yeah, when I was 10!' Aimee shouted, her eyes blazing. If it wasn't my parents teasing each other, then it was Aimee and Joe. And if it wasn't Aimee and Joe, it was the girls.

'Well actually, both words are technically correct.' I said, causing both my siblings eyes to become fixed on me. I was pretty sure stubbornness ran in the family.

'WHAT?' They both blurted at the same time and I shrugged, putting my hand on my hip. Aimee looked like she was about to faint and the smirk had vanished from Joe's face. They both took these debates so seriously.

'But, if it makes you feel any better Aimes, the FBI use the word disorganized in their investigations so - '

'Ha! I'm a federal agent!' Aimee shouted triumphantly, pointing a finger directly at Joe who gave her a look.

'Well, not really.'

'How is that going, dear? Have the FBI contacted you anymore?' My mother called as I re-entered the kitchen and Nathan began strumming the opening bars to 'Roxie' on his guitar.

'D'you want some tea?' She asked, re-positioning her glasses on top of her head.

'No, I'm good, thanks.'

'It's all over the news, isn't it?' My mother continued, taking a sip from her own glass of sparkling water. 'People are really beginning to panic. It's frightening.' I'm sure my mother had dealt with similar experiences in her police days.

'I don't know if I'm really supposed to say.' I said, slowly. 'I'm not sure if I can tell anyone.'

'And here comes your father because he has a radar for things he's not supposed to tell anyone. It makes him feel special.' My father returned from his TV remote hunt looking defeated and I could almost hear Lexi laughing at the fact she'd managed to hide it from him.

'All the victims have either worked in or been patients at the hospital.' I explained cautiously and my mother's penciled eyebrows shot up.

'What? That detail wasn't released!'

'You mean St. Addison's?' My father asked, his dark brows furrowing.

'No, she means Marchmont.' My mother snapped, referring to the large private hospital that resided on the edge of town which was famed for treating the rich and influential in the city. 'Of course she means St. Addison's, Frank.'

'But doesn't that mean you could be targeted? If the FBI haven't figured out how he choses his victims?' My mother looked as though this thought had only just entered her mind and I instantly regretted answering any of her questions because now she was bound to enter panic mode.

'In theory.' I said, looking between the pair of them and taking in their worried expressions. 'Look, he's targeting women that he has some kind of prior history with. Not one of the men I've been with fit the BAU's profile.'

This did absolutely nothing to calm my parents' expressions. 'Why's he targeting these people? Is he psycho or something?' My father asked, his voice cold.

'He thinks he is somehow helping the world.' I said, trying to remember as what Aaron had told me as possible. 'He thinks these women are sinful and that they need to be eradicated because of their personalities.'

'What have they done?' My mother had been a Catholic for her entire life - and appeared to take religion very seriously - despite my father, Joe and myself being more Liberal Protestant. And Aimee was claiming agnosticism.

'Nothing.' I said firmly. 'But in his twisted mind they have. And so he's taking it upon himself to get rid of them.'

'Sick guy.' My father said as the kettle whistled to show the water had boiled and my phone started buzzing in my pocket. The number was unregistered and although I knew of all the risks of answering calls from strangers, I always did because I never knew whether it was a patient or someone from the hospital calling.

'Hello?'

'Dr. Harmon? Lizzy?' A familiar voice answered and I could hear the low hum of movement in the background.

'Yeah?' I knew that voice. I knew that voice. 'JJ?'

'Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry for interrupting your weekend, but I didn't have any other choice.'

'It's alright. What's the problem?'

'You're listed as Kelly Santiago's emergency contact. Is that right?' I instantly wondered why JJ was bringing up Kelly but continued to answer her question.

'Yes, her parents both live abroad. She's a good friend of the family so I'm usually her first port of call. Why?' There was a half second of silence which reduced me to a quivering wreck. What had happened to Kelly? No -

'We have her here at the BAU. She was attacked in her home about half an hour ago and she's certain it was the un-sub that we're after.' My blood ran cold and I steamed past Lexi who was still playing on the floor, grabbing my keys.

'Mom, I need to go out. It's about Kelly. I'll be back in a bit. I'll text you, okay?' I didn't even wait for a reply. I just threw my coat over one shoulder and charged out the door, my heart pumping with both fear and fury. He went after Kelly. He tried to kill her. 'Keep talking JJ. What the hell happened? She's okay, right? She's alive? JJ?'

FEATURED SONGS:  
Rent - Take Me or Leave Me  
Chicago - Roxie  
Charlie Puth - Then There's You

\- Thanks for reading! What did you think?


	20. Undeviginti

I rammed on the breaks as I jolted back in my seat, quickly cutting the engine and grabbing my keys and my bag. My heart was pounding and I hadn't been taking in any of the songs that I would have normally sang along to - not even to Carly Rae Jepsen. My entire being and thought process was focused solely on Kelly, and thanking God over and over and over again that Kelly was still alive. Shaking and frightened and broken, but alive.

I jumped out of my car, noticing my slightly wayward parking but not stopping to re-park. I clicked the button on my keys as I sprinted towards the doors, hoping that my car was now thief-proof but not spending an extra second to care. I'd lived in 5 inch heels for basically the last five years of my life so had no problem with running into the BAU, weaving through the crowds of people and heading for the elevator. I didn't even occur to me that all these people were here at the weekend because there was a serial killer out there. Mercifully, the elevator was empty and I spent the entire 10 second ride tapping my feet and wringing my hands and biting my lip. Kelly. I wanted to see Kelly.

The doors parted and I surged forwards, catching a frantic-looking JJ darting around the office. She saw me emerge from the elevator, and sighed, running a hand through her hair.

'Where is she?' I asked quickly, allowing myself a moment to try and calm my racing heartbeat. I was going to give myself a heart attack. Or I was going to faint because of my high blood pressure.

'This way - ' JJ said, taking me over to a slightly secluded corner of the office and as soon as I saw Kelly's small frame curled up in an armchair, a blanket clutched around her, while tears streamed down her face, I allowed myself to force a smile. Kelly was okay. And now I needed to be there for her.

'Kelly?' I stepped forwards and bended down, not wanting to spook her. A serial killer had just broken into her home and tried to murder her. I would be slightly on edge.

'Lizzy?' She murmured, unfurling from the pile of limbs and shakily wrapping her arms around my neck. I reached forwards and put my arms around her, stroking her hair as she cried into my shoulder. She smelled of sweat and raspberries and coconut. She smelled like Kelly, but with something slightly off.

'You're okay.' I murmured, comfortingly, 'You're going to be okay. No one is going to hurt you, I promise.' I rubbed circles onto her back as she shook in my arms and looked up as a shadow passed me. Spencer had emerged from the office upstairs and was now quietly talking to JJ, who had been stood behind me while I consoled Kelly.

'Lizzy...Lizzy...' She moaned, as she peeled herself away from my shoulder. Her hair was stuck to her head and her cheeks were stained with tears and mascara. 'He killed Reggie. He killed him.' She managed to get these words out before more tears escaped from her eyes and she slumped against me.

'Reggie? Is there another body we need to be aware of? If he's now killing men, this could signify a deterioration process...' I looked up at Spencer, his tall frame towering over me and ran my fingers through Kelly's hair.

'No, he's not killing men.' I explained, looking down at Kelly's hunched figure. 'Reggie was her dog.' A look of realization dawned on Spencer's face and he tucked his hands into his pockets.

'What breed?' He looked at me curiously, and I had no idea why this was important.

'A Sheprador.' I said, and Spencer nodded, his face pensive.

'I'll add 'dog murderer' to the list then,' he said, disappearing back up the stairs that presumably led to the rest of the team, along with JJ. Wow, really helpful Spencer.

I let Kelly cry into my shoulder for a few more minutes, as I slowly rubbed her back and told her that everything was going to be okay, before forcing her back into a sitting position. I draped the blanket around her shoulders and perched dangerously on the arm as Kelly tucked her hair behind her ears and wiped the tears from her eyes, smudging more mascara across her face.

'Can you tell me what happened?' I asked quietly, taking a wet wipe, a hairbrush, a hair tie and small perfume rollerball from my bag, trying desperately not to fall from the chair. Kelly sniffed and nodded as I began softly brushing her hair. She probably felt gross, coated in tears, and I knew that this would do nothing to help improve her mood and make her feel more relaxed. 

'I was watching something on TV. I can't even remember what it was now, but then Reggie started barking. He likes barking anyway so I thought he'd seen a bird or something. But then he started whimpering and groaning. And then he suddenly went quiet. And then I heard these footsteps.' I gathered Kelly's hair into a ponytail and secured it with the hair tie.

'And then what?' I asked, as I moved onto clearing all the traces of mascara from her face.

'I bought some pepper spray a few months ago when my neighbors were burgled. I found that and went into the kitchen. There - there was blood all over the floor and Reggie was just lying there. The jerk was stood over him with a knife. He had his back to me. And then he turned around. So I sprayed him. I don't think I was close enough to actually hurt him but it must have freaked him because he ran. Then I rang the hotline.'

'Did you see his face?' I took Kelly's hand and rolled the perfume along her wrist, the fresh, clean scent reaching my nose. Kelly shook her head.

'He was wearing a mask. Like a ski mask.' I nodded and ran my fingers through her pony tail. She sniffed again and looked up at me, her hazel eyes blood-shot. 'I didn't even realise Reggie was dead until I put the phone down. He was just lying there. His blood was all over the floor.'

'I know, Kels, I know.' I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close to me. 'Let's just be glad, you're okay, alright? And you were really brave taking him on like that.'

'I squirted pepper spray at him.' She moaned, her voice low. 'He killed Reggie.'

'Miss Santiago?' I looked up and David was stood in front of us, a brown file clutched in his hand. His face was kind but firm. His hair and eyebrows looked even more unruly than usual.

'Yes?' Kelly croaked sitting up, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

'My name's David Rossi. I understand that you've been through a lot but I was wondering if you could answer just a few of my questions.' Kelly looked uncertain and I knew that this was probably the last thing she wanted to do right now. The first being to curl into a ball and forget everything.

'He's really nice, you know.' I whispered, leaning down so my mouth was next to her ear. 'He reminds me of my dad a bit. Just a lot more Italian and maybe a tad younger.' Kelly had always got on well with my father, even though they seemed like polar opposites.

'Okay.' Kelly breathed, looking up at me and giving me a tight, slightly watery smiles.

'Could we do it in one of our interview rooms?' David asked and Kelly paused a moment before nodding. She shakily got to her feet and adjusted her neon green shirt before following David up the stairs.

At this same moment, JJ, Derek, Emily and Aaron descended them, a sense of purpose in their strides. I noticed that all four agents looked towards Kelly with sympathetic eyes before they separated: JJ, Derek and Emily left the room completely and disappeared in the elevator. Where they were going, I didn't know. Maybe JJ was holding a press conference? And maybe Emily and Derek were off to follow up a lead? Or to check out Kelly's home?

I sagged down into the chair, the seat still warm from Kelly's body heat. I felt my muscles loosen and relax. Kelly was okay. My biggest fear about her being seriously hurt, or even killed was false. The same couldn't be said for poor Reggie, however, and I knew that despite all Kelly's grumblings about him, he had become a part of her family and she really had loved him.

My eyes drifted around the office, as I prayed that Kelly wasn't breaking apart in questioning. Not that David would intentionally cause her distress. You could almost forget that this was a FBI department - it had the same desks and computers and filing cupboards as any other office. It just so happened that the filing cupboards contained murder cases.

My drifting eyes came to rest on the figure of Aaron Hotchner. Because, obviously. A small smile formed on my lips as I watched him talk to a group of five agents, his face full of resolve and determination. It struck me just how good he looked, in his fairly ordinary suit, and how his dark hair and features really were very handsome.

STAAP, LIZZY. STOP. NOW.

I couldn't believe I was thinking this, now of all times. But I just couldn't pull my eyes away. And maybe it was my Disney wired brain or the fact that I really was a child at heart, but the song 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' from Hercules suddenly filled my head and I could imagine JJ, Emily, Penelope, Kelly and Aimee all being the muses and serenading me in a park (as previous experience I had told me, I did have pretty rotten judgement when it came to men). Because I wasn't in love with Aaron. I just had a crush on him. A crush that was growing bigger every minute...

As though he could hear my thoughts, his eyes suddenly shifted away from the agents who all proceeded to scatter and landed in my direction. I fixed my eyes on the desk nearest to me and tried to ignore the fact that I could feel his eyes boring into my head. I focused on the striped coffee mug and on the scattering of pens across the surface of the desk and on the towering stack of paper and the picture frame showing three children and a German Shepard and...

I couldn't do it. My resolve failed and my eyes strayed back over to Aaron, whose gaze was still focused on me. I hoped he thought I was simply daydreaming and hadn't been checking him out mere minutes before. Somewhat nervously, a small smile crept onto my lips. Oh God. He was going to think I was insane, wasn't he?

But, no. Instead of insisting I have a psych evaluation, he just stared back at me. My eyes met his dark brown ones and I was now entered into a staring contest. And to fail, to look away, would be testament enough of how his presence made me feel like a teenager again.

A small, slightly awkward, smile suddenly crept onto his lips and I thought my heart might just burst out of my chest. But then the moment was gone and he was striding away from me, to go and canvas Kelly's case and catch the killer and oh, do his job. Yes, Lizzy. He was doing his job. And what where you doing?

Losing my mind. That's what.

But my job right now was to be there for Kelly. She'd been through a lot and I had to be there for her. And anyway, there was a killer on the lose and his capture was - and should have been - everyone's priority. That, and looking after Kelly, were what I should have been focusing on.

Not Aaron Hotchner.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Carly Rae Jepsen - I Really Like You  
Lillias White, Vanesse Thomas, LaChanze, Cheryl Freeman, Susan Egan - I Won't Say (I'm In Love)

\- Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :D


	21. Viginti

I picked a speck of dirt out of my shorn nails and wished for the hundredth time that I could paint them. But as I used my hands on a constant, every day basis, it just wasn't practical for work. Absent-mindedly, my eyes wandered around the office as I listed off every Latin word I could recall in my head to pass the time.

Bellum. War. Coniunx. Spouse. Terra. Land. Parvus. Small. Ante. Before. Mors. Death. Ara. Altar. Sors. Destiny.

'Dr. Harmon?' I looked up from my trance to see Emily leaning against the bannister of the stairs, looking down at me.

'Yes?' I'd seen Emily, Derek and JJ return from wherever they went mere minutes ago and as Emily was wasting the time to talk to me, I was guessing their mission hadn't been wholly fruitful.

'Would you like to come and sit with me and the rest of my team until Agent Rossi finishes? He could be a while...' I would definitely rather have some company than sit alone on the sidelines, boring myself with my own thoughts.

'Are you sure?'

'Of course.' I gathered my bag and my coat and followed Emily along to the room where Derek and Spencer were located.

'And please, call me Lizzy. It seems like I'm around here often enough and Dr. Harmon is too professional.' I told her with a smile as I sat down in a vacant chair that didn't seem to be in the agents way too much. I didn't want to impede their investigation in any way.

'Ahem...Thanks for the cookies, by the way - ' Derek suddenly said to me, with more warmth in his voice than I'd ever heard. 'I think pretty boy over there actually moaned.' I just smiled and shrugged, looking over to where Spencer was stood, which was in front of a large map tacked to the wall, which had several areas highlighted.

'No problem. I'm just glad you liked them.' Spencer was giving Derek a very intense look that suggested he didn't like being made fun of and I saw Emily roll her eyes. 'I trust Penelope got her cookie in one piece?' Derek nodded.

Scattered across the table was an abundance of crime scene photos: there were pictures of broken windows and kitchen sinks and fallen cushions but these weren't the ones that snagged my attention. The ones that had me transfixed were the ones showing Claire, Sara, Mina and Zoey lying on the floor, in a pool of their own blood. And among these macabre shots, I recognized images from Kelly's home - her front door, her kitchen tiling - and realised that Kelly could have been one of the lifeless bodies now categorized as evidence. The thought made me want to be sick.

'You told me something would come up.' Derek's words dragged me out of my nauseous reverie and I stared between him and Emily.

'Huh?'

'Where did she tell you that?' Emily asked curiously, sifting through the pictures and taking one showing the exterior of Kelly's home.

'We saw each other in church yesterday.' I nodded and locked eyes with Derek. He seemed to be being a lot friendlier and warmer towards me than he had previously. Had our spontaneous heart-to-heart yesterday knocked down the barrier that had existed between us?

'I didn't know you were religious.' Emily said, turning back to me. I opened my mouth to answer but Spencer suddenly spoke.

'It's been practically floating in our faces for the last week.' He exclaimed with a tone of surprise.

'And how's that?'

'Whenever Lizzy is dressed for work, she wears a gold chain around her neck but keeps the pendant tucked in her shirt. Now it's the weekend, she doesn't hide it. Some hospitals object to their employees displaying religious symbols because they focus purely on the science.'

I twirled the gold cross that I always wore around my neck in my fingers and Emily reluctantly nodded as Spencer turned back to the board, taking a marker in one hand.

'What came up, then?' I asked, praying that they had discovered something new. Four women had been killed, almost a fifth, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up my professional front without losing my mind.

'Zoey Leighton had two cats. The un-sub left them alive. But this time, he felt compelled to kill Kelly Santiago's dog.' Reggie. I corrected in my mind. He felt compelled to kill Reggie.

'And this could show two things. Firstly, the un-sub could be beginning to deteriorate, meaning his kills are going to progressively going to get more violent and sadistic.' Derek continued. None of that sounded positive.

'Or, the un-sub was spooked by the barking and killed him out of fear.' Emily said.

'That would signify a growing paranoia of loud noises, meaning the un-sub is on edge. He feels like he's being watched and that someone is honing in on what he's doing.' Spencer finished, without turning round. 'The fact that he didn't kill Kelly Santiago shows how he's being affected by outside influences. A confident killer would have had no problem with killing a dog and moving onto his intended target.'

'So he's scared of being caught?' I mused.

'Because he knows that we're getting closer.' Emily said, with a sharp smile on her face. 'And that means he's starting to make mistakes.'

I let this fact settle in me for a moment. The team were close, closer than they'd ever been, to finding out the identity of the man and stopping him. And now he was beginning to crack under the pressure. This was the news I'd been hoping for, right?

'If Rossi can get any details out of Kelly about the possible identity of the un-sub, then Garcia can cross-match that to hospital employees who have a criminal record.'

'You think he has a criminal record?' I asked, mentally scanning through every employee of the hospital that I knew of. I couldn't think of a single one that had a criminal record.

'It's likely that this is this guy's first attempt at killing, but he's probably had some kind of criminal activity in the past. It could be theft, fraud, assault, anything.' I was still drawing a blank on hospital employees who had a criminal record.

'You're sure of this?' I asked, skeptically.

'We're all pretty certain but Hotch isn't so sure.' Derek said with a smirk and I decided, while we were having this nice chat, to pull them up on something that I'd noticed recently.

'You guys call him Hotch?' Emily and Derek both looked up from the pictures they were examining with surprised looks on their faces.

'Yeah. Hotchner is too long, Agent Hotchner is too formal and Aaron is just weird.' Emily clarified and Derek smirked.

'Aaron makes him sound like a human being and not an intimidating workaholic robot.' I gathered that his stoic demeanor I'd perceived him display was his normal attitude at work, and was a topic of conversation with his colleagues.  The workaholic bit I could understand because at times, I was guilty of being one myself. But I didn't agree with the intimidating part. I knew that his height coupled with his dark gaze could be slightly ferocious, but I didn't feel intimidated by him. 'Why'd you ask?'

'I don't know. I just don't like calling people by their last name. It feels like I'm de-personalizing them and clumping them together with everyone who shares that surname.' I said with a shrug. 'So you're Derek, Emily and Spencer if you don't mind.'

'And Hotch is Aaron...' Emily mumbled under her breath, gaining a smirk from both Derek and Spencer. I looked across at them with an uncertain look on my face just as footsteps echoed down the hall and David entered the room, a look of weariness on his face.

'What happened?' Derek chuckled as David sagged down into an empty chair next to me.

'She's upset and angry and can still be bluntly sarcastic and remember very little.' I recalled the story that Kelly had told me earlier. There was actually very little detail about the actual man that she could remember, meaning there wasn't much that could help the investigation.

'That's just part of her charm.' I murmured, to myself more than anyone else.

'Have you tried a cognitive interview with her?' Emily asked. I guessed that this was some technique used by the BAU to retrieve information out of witnesses. But what it involved, I had no idea.

David ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. 'I don't know whether she's up to it. A cognitive interview can be an extremely distressful experience. Kelly only stopped crying five minutes ago. I don't want to do any further damage.'

I wasn't about to question a BAU agent on his entire bank of knowledge, but I thought whatever a 'cognitive interview' was, Kelly could probably handle it. I'd known her for almost 20 years and I knew that she wasn't a pushover. And while I hated seeing Kelly cry, I knew that this was her method of dealing with any intense emotion, whether it be fear, happiness, stress or anger and that she often over compensated with her behavior for what she felt inside.

'Can I make a suggestion?' I asked suddenly, and every agent's eyes landed on me.

'Sure. What is it?' David asked and I looked between him and Derek. This was about making Kelly forget about her fear and her anxiety so she could try and remember as many details as possible about her attacker. That meant flooding her with another emotion.

'Perhaps if you and Agent Morgan questioned Kelly, she might remember more details.' I knew of Kelly's crush on Derek - and while I knew it was simply because of his physical appearance - I thought that this could be strong enough to vanquish her terrified nerves.

'Why would that help?' Derek asked puzzled, leaning back in his chair. I bit my lip. I didn't want to reveal all Kelly's personal secrets to a group of people who, despite wanting to help her, hardly knew her. So, I decided, I'd just downplay it a bit.

'Kelly has a slight crush on you.' I said slowly, gaging Derek's reaction. I got the idea that he was more than used to female attention - I mean, he was very muscular - so I was sure this revelation wouldn't shock him too much. Sure enough, he just smirked and crossed his arms.

'So do a lot of women.' He chuckled and Emily slapped him playfully on the arm.

'How does Kelly know Morgan?' Spencer asked, turning away from the board. 'He and Rossi worked the lower three floors. Kelly would never have come into contact with him.' I cursed Spencer's cleverness because Kelly's hacking of the CCTV cameras had been something I'd wanted to keep to myself. It could possibly land her in hot water.

'She managed to gain access to the CCTV cameras,' I said, skipping over the part where Kelly hacked the hospital's security. 'And she saw you entering the hospital. And she liked what she saw.'

'I have that affect on people.' He grinned nonchalantly and Emily gagged, forcing a smirk onto my face.

'Shall we give it a try then?' David said and he and Derek, his ego sufficiently boosted, left the room.

'Sometimes I just want to slap his perfectly shiny head.' Emily said seriously and I smiled. She caught my eye, smiled back, and then returned to re-analyzing the crime scene photos.

'JJ is trying to keep a cap on the media to avoid any further panic and - ' Suddenly, Aaron came striding into the room and his eyes immediately came to rest on me. He didn't know he would find me in here. 'Dr. Harmon...' He gave me a welcoming, if slightly forced, nod and I saw him swallow several times, his eyes flicking between the scattering of pictures on the table and myself. Wait a minute. Was he blushing? Was the man - a man who I'd been told by everyone was the epitome of 'stone cold boss guy' - nervous?

'It's Lizzy...' Emily murmured in a sign-song voice under her breath but Aaron ignored her, his fingers tapping agitatedly against his leg. No. He couldn't be nervous. Because the only thing in this room that would warrant him to be nervous was myself. And I couldn't believe that I would cause him to feel that way. I'd met him several times and he'd never shown any sign of anxiety around me before.

'Would - Would you like a coffee? Or a cup of tea?' He stuttered and his words startled me. JJ had offered me a drink as soon as David had gone to question Kelly but I wasn't a big coffee or tea drinker so had graciously declined.

'No, I'm okay, thank you.' I said, noting the stutter in his voice. He'd always spoken with confidence and awareness. I'd never known his voice to waver.

'Or we have biscuits?' Emily asked and I noticed the strong sarcasm in her voice. She was flashing me a wide smile and her eyes glinted. What? Why was Aaron's offer of a drink so amusing?

'I'm quite alright.' I said firmly, looking back at Emily with a harsh glare. Why was mine and Aaron's exchange so hilarious?

'Right then...well...' Aaron looked around the room, focusing on Spencer and his map for a moment before turning back to the table and Emily's photographs. 'What do we know?' The confidence in his voice had returned but the slight flush of colour still remained on his cheeks.

'The un-sub stalks his victims, probably for a day or two, before killing them. This time period has, and will continue to, grow shorter as he continues to deteriorate.' Emily started. 'This is to learn their routine, and any locations they frequent, so he can chose the murder site accordingly. But as he continues to deteriorate, he could deviate from this and start killing his victims whenever he can.

'There's also no sexual component.' Spencer said. 'Which suggests that the murder itself provides enough release.'

'Or he could be gay?' Emily added.

'Or impotent.' Aaron said. 'Anything else?' JJ suddenly entered the room, her face blank. I guessed the handling of the media didn't go very well.

'The un-sub would have to have some medical knowledge to be able to sever the ulnar artery so accurately.' Emily said and I was pretty sure that every single doctor or nurse that worked at the hospital would be able to sever the ulnar artery.

'He's also confident in his abilities and borderline arrogant.' JJ put in.

'But is now beginning to crack and make some mistakes.' Emily said.

'He has some kind of personal connection to the victims - ' Spencer started.

'The deaths look to be personal.' Emily butted in.

'But his main motive for killing is that he thinks he is somehow cleansing evil from the world. And each victim will represent one of those evils.' He finished.

'And he definitely works at St. Addison's Hospital.' JJ finished, her eyes landing on me.

I was trying to push this piece of information as far from my mind as I could, whenever I thought of anything in relation to the murders. But, it was clear that as every agent's eyes were now on me, this was nigh on impossible.

'I'm trying to put that aside.' I said, looking over at each agent in turn and my heart palpitated when Aaron met my gaze. 'The fact that one of my colleagues is a psychopath and that I see him every day and that he's brutally killing women.'

'Aren't you at least a little bit scared?' Spencer asked bluntly, and Aaron's eyes shot to him. I swallowed and fiddled with my necklace.

'A little bit.' I said, nodding, hoping I was hiding the fact that it was not just a little bit but a great deal. It was the last thing I thought of when I went to sleep at night.

'Hello, my lovelies, I come bearing news.' Penelope's voice suddenly emerged from an open laptop that sat on a table at the edge of the room. Emily jumped from her chair and clicked a few buttons, bringing Pen's face onto the screen.

'Okay, you can speak, Garcia!' Emily said, sitting back into her chair and biting her pen lid. 'Oh, and Lizzy's here!'

'Yes, Lizzy, hey!' I waggled my fingers at her through the computer screen and she returned my greeting. 'How's Kelly? Is she alright? It's awful what happened...' Myself, Kelly and Penelope had all been firm friends in high school, mainly because of their mutual friendship with me.

'Yeah, she's okay.' I said, thinking back to her mournful figure burrowing into my sweater. 'I think she's trying to get over the shock of it all.'

'Well, I have been working my magic and I've learned a few things.'

'Go ahead, Garcia.' Aaron said, taking Derek's vacated seat at the opposite end of the table to me. Was he deliberately sitting as far away from me as possible? Had I done something? Or was he really nervous around me?

'There are 75 people who work on the ground and third floor of St. Addison's and 43 of them are male. 6 of those have prior convictions and criminal records.' That meant that any of the 43 could be the un-sub. Any one of them.

'Can you - ' Aaron started, but Pen cut him off.

'Already done.' She said with a smile. 'The hospital has very thorough checks though; the offences go back years.'  
JJ went over to the printer, retrieved several pieces of paper and proceeded to dish them out among the agents.

'Ooh, douchey surgeon is on the list!' Emily exclaimed, flicking through the paper. I raised an eyebrow. What?

'Dr. Evan whatshisface.'

'Really?' I knew that Evan had an ego and was probably too ambitious for his own good but I didn't think he was a criminal.

'Yeah. See, I knew he was shifty.' Emily shot Aaron a look who just narrowed his eyes and continued combing through the notes on the 6 men with previous convictions. My curious nature instantly wanted to know which other 5 men were on the list but I also knew that I probably already knew more than any civilian normally would about a case.

'Evan Bartholomew was charged with gross indecency in Livingston, Montana when he was 16.' Aaron stated, and the words started whirring around my head.

'So he's gay?' JJ inputted and I knew it was what everyone else had been thinking. 'We said the un-sub could be gay and that's why sex wasn't his primary motivation.'

I, on the other hand, had never considered it. He seemed to have a constant stream of female attention surrounding him and I'd never stopped to consider that this could be false attention. But why? Was he trying to prove to others that he wasn't gay by relishing in all the female attention? Or was he trying to prove it to himself?

'Despite how much I also dislike Dr. douche-face, he doesn't pop out at me as a psychopath. Nor do any more of the names on that list.' Penelope said.

'We'll still need to look through them. Our guy is someone off this list.' Emily said but I noticed Aaron didn't look too convinced.

'What is it?' Spencer asked and Aaron paused a moment.

'I don't know. I just think that if this guy really thinks he is doing the world some good and it is his first time killing - '

'No one employed at the hospital has ever been accused or charged with murder or manslaughter.' Pen confirmed.

'Then I don't think he would have a criminal record. These urges must have been recently developed because that's why he has started killing now.' Aaron finished.

Then, David and Derek re-entered the room, a triumphant look on their faces.

'Your suggestion worked.' David said directly to me and I noticed Aaron's eyes narrow. 'She was so consumed by her attraction for Morgan that she forgot about her fear.' Derek seemed to look rather smug at this and Emily looked as though she was going to be sick.

'And?' Aaron prompted.

'He's an approximately 6 feet tall left-handed Caucasian with a medium build.' I felt a surge of pride for Kelly, even if I had  slightly forced her into remembering the details.

'Garcia, cross reference all 43 names with those credentials.' Aaron said.

'Already on it, Captain.' The tension in the room was palpable and I noticed David almost wince at the squeak of his chair as he sat down. 'That's 26 names. And the 6 with criminal records aren't on the list.'

'Damn it.' Emily mumbled, crossing something out with her pen. So, it wasn't Evan. 'He's not Caucasian?'

'His mother's South African.' I said, thinking back to a conversation I'd overheard him have.

'We shouldn't rule him out entirely.' Spencer said, running a hand through his messy hair. 'He could be ambidextrous. He could have been wearing heeled boots to give him extra height.' Emily looked re-invigorated.

'Keep Bartholomew on the list.' David said, looking over at Aaron who nodded. I wasn't sure whether they were keeping him on the list because he genuinely was a potential suspect or they just didn't like him.

'We need to start working our way through this list and checking them off. Garcia, check their finances and alert us if anything suspicious comes up.'

'On it. Garcia out. Love ya, Lizzy.' She said, before her face disappeared from the screen. Love ya too, Pen.

'And we need to speak to these men. Search their addresses.' Derek said.

'If we stick to the profile, then we can't be left with too many options.' David said, tucking his pen into his pocket.

'And then we can stop him.' Emily said.

'Before he kills anyone else.' Aaron said, determinedly.

Yes. They would find him before he killed anyone else. I was sure of it. They would.

They had to.


	22. Viginti Unum

I changed Jessica Perry's marital status from engaged to married and then slowly typed out her new address before saving the changes to the database. The morning had been fairly standard work, having seen 5 patients, before a kink in the scheduling left me with a half hour gap. Everything outside of work, however, seemed to have changed dramatically.

Kelly, much to my surprise, was back behind her desk and working more conscientiously than ever. She'd only cracked two jokes to me so far this morning and I was yet to catch her flirting with any of the hospital employees. This worried me. While Kelly might be getting her work done at a staggering rate, she wasn't the Kelly that I knew and loved and could tell that she was still pretty shaken up by what had happened on Saturday. I did hope that the lemon meringue cupcakes I'd baked on Sunday would do something to improve her mood.

I knew that the BAU had talked to the police and installed a constant watch over Kelly and her house. Two police officers followed her to work and then followed her home, before camping outside her house every night. I knew that it sounded excessive but Kelly hadn't complained for once. At least now I knew that the un-sub wasn't going to get another crack at crossing Kelly off his list.

This morning I'd caught glimpses of David and Spencer questioning Mr. Eccles, an elderly man who assisted in everything from family planning to quitting smoking, who I highly doubted could hold a knife firmly enough to kill someone, as a result of his arthritis.

I was still determinedly trying to keep the murders from my mind and to focus on my work and my patients, but the appearance of the BAU did nothing to help this. It seemed that nothing could distract me from the fact that a murder was walking the halls and that I'd probably come into contact with them that morning.

Considering that the attacks had been all over the news, I felt silly in completely dismissing it when a patient inevitably brought up the subject. So, I'd been relaying some of the advice that JJ had been repeating on the news to them: keep all doors and windows locked at all times, to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity via the hotline.

And because the patients were discussing it, the doctors and nurses and technicians were discussing it too. There was no escaping it. Every employee had their own individual theory of who the killer was and everyone was eager to share their personal theory with everyone else. I had begun searching for colleagues who fit the BAU's profile and wondering if they could be the killer.

It had begun to take over my life.

I had no idea how the team could cope with this on a daily basis. I wasn't even directly involved in the case, and it was all I thought about. How the people actually in charge of finding the person responsible kept themselves from going crazy was beyond me.

Distractedly, I forced myself to look away from the photo of Lola and Lexi and to focus back on what was happening right now. I was about to leave my office and attempt to strike up a cheery conversation with Kelly and hope that no one in the BAU crossed my path (Aaron's awkwardness had been haunting me almost as frequently as the murders) when I froze.

After closing my patient details, I had landed on my own personal details that were stored in the database. The personal details that anyone with an employee passcode could answer. My name, my age, my nationality, my qualifications, my next of kin and my address. While I wasn't concerned with anyone learning the majority of these, the latter struck a cord with me.

The un-sub worked in this hospital and therefore had access to this system. They could learn my address from just a quick search of this database. Without pausing to think, I quickly deleted the few lines of my address and saved the changes. There. Now the un-sub couldn't stalk me, could he? I was safe. Yes, I was safe.

But I wasn't. Not really.

I pushed away from my desk and left my office without another look at my computer screen. The foyer was scarily quiet, the only considerable noise being Kelly's voice talking on the phone. I was happy to hear her back to her old vivacious self, even if she was having a slight rant at whoever was on the other end of the line.

I made my way into the break room which was located next to the store cupboard, and wasn't actually much bigger. I was pretty sure the last time it had been decorated was in the 1980s because everything was peach and brown leather and floral. But it did have one saving grace, it was where the assortment of drinks machines were located. And I made a beeline for the hot chocolate.

Yes, I really was a child at heart. But I wasn't a tea or coffee person, nor did I like the fizzy drinks packed with additives and I could only drink so much water without craving something else. And everything could always be made better with a cup of liquid chocolate, even if it was the cheap, hospital variety.

I took the mug which had quickly been established as mine among the rest of the gynecology staff and pressed the appropriate buttons that would bring around the arrival of my favourite beverage. As the aroma of sweet chocolate began to fill my nose, I listened to the conversation Kelly was having on the phone. She must have been feeling a bit better.

'I've told you, Mrs. Lambert, you can't have 10:40am next Monday because that appointment time is already taken.' Mrs. Lambert had been one of my patients for the last three years and I knew that she wasn't afraid to put her foot down if she wanted something.

'And no, I can't just cancel that appointment for you. I'm sorry, Mrs. Lambert, but I'll just have to put you in for 11:15 instead.' Kelly didn't sound sorry in the slightest.

'What? No! Look here lady, if you have a problem with that, take it up with senior management. I can't just cancel an appointment because it is slightly inconvenient for you. Sometimes the world is cruel, just deal with it!' Kelly slammed the phone down and flicked some hair out of her eyes. Okay. So maybe she was still a little bit shaken up.

I reached for my mug and took a sip of the velvety liquid, feeling my mood lift instantly. Endorphins in chocolate were supposed to bring on the same sensation as sex and I could definitely agree with that. Wait. No. Chocolate was better...

'Everything alright?' I asked, taking a few more sips of my drink and stepping back out into the foyer. Kelly shrugged and stretched her arms over her head.

'Some people just love the sound of their own voices.' I smirked and sipped my drink, leaning against the reception desk and gazing down the shorter corridor to my left leading to the gynecology and family planning rooms.

At the far end of the corridor, almost obscured by a large sign directing the way to the toilets, was Aaron and Spencer shaking the hand of Dr. Alan Seymour who was a very nice gynecology doctor with a slight obsession with Madagascar and definitely not someone who I'd peg was a killer. Saying that, I didn't peg any of my colleagues as killers yet there was one swimming among them.

'What you staring at?' Kelly asked, beginning to type something at an alarmingly fast rate. I considered leaving this conversation and going to hide in my office until Kelly gave me the all clear, but that would be childish. So instead, I buried myself in the chocolatey goodness.

'Agent Reid and Agent Hotchner.' I said, using their full names. Kelly wasn't good with names. She would have thought Spencer and Aaron were my two slightly suspicious taxidermist obsessed neighbors, when in actual fact that was Drake and Harvey.

'Ooh, eye-candy.' Kelly said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, her voice dripping with venom. So she was slightly wound-up and in a bad mood. Right. I could work with that.

'Not for you maybe,' I murmured under my breath, but I knew Kelly had heard me because a smirk had stretched onto her face.

Aaron was yet again dressed in his immaculate suit, but today it was paired with a navy tie which accentuated his dark hair and eyes. Alan suddenly turned away from Spencer and Aaron and entered his office which was located two doors down from my own. Seemingly satisfied with whatever information Alan had told them, Spencer and Aaron began to walk back up the corridor, towards me and Kelly. Great.

I had no idea what was making me so reluctant to talk to Aaron again. Maybe it was the fact that since I'd first met him, he'd always been confident and in control. The only time I'd seen this waver had been when he'd picked Jack up from my house at 9 rather than 7. But this had been the Aaron, the person he was outside of work. At work, he was unwavering in his single-mindedness. So why had he suddenly become a stuttering wreck?

'Earth to Lizzy? Hello? Anyone in there?'

'Huh?' I looked up at Kelly, blinking under the lights. Whatever she had been saying to me, I had clearly zoned out.  
'Moustache alert.' She gestured to my top lip and I panicked. Spencer and Aaron were stood literally meters away and I could feel both their gazes on me. I quickly took the damp tissue Kelly was holding out for me and ran it across my lip, removing the chocolate residue.

'Good morning, Dr. Harmon.' Spencer said in his cheery tone and I quickly ran my tongue over my lip to check for any chocolate and turned to face them. Spencer and Aaron's faces were both passive. Great. Now they both thought I really was five.

But, why did it matter? Why did I care so much that two people I was pretty well acquainted with saw a slight bit of chocolate on my face? Because it's Aaron. Aaron, the guy that you think is seriously hot and think is amazing. Yeah, that Aaron.

'Good morning,' I replied, breaking into a smile and trying to disguise the blush on my cheeks.

'Oh, sorry. Lizzy. You don't like Dr. Harmon, it's too professional, I - ' Spencer rambled.

'Don't worry about it. Honestly.' I insisted and Spencer nodded. 'Lizzy or Lizanne or Dr. Harmon is fine. Most people just call me Lizzy.'

'How are you feeling, Miss Santiago?' Aaron asked, not meeting my gaze and looking over at Kelly. Why wouldn't he look at me? Had I offended him in some way? I knew that I hadn't. So was this just a way to combat the random anxiety he felt when he met my eyes? To not look at me at all?

'Better.' Kelly said bluntly, not looking up from her computer screen. 'Is there anything I can help you with?'

'Actually, there is.' Spencer said and I was glad that the conversation had moved onto something substantial. 'We were wondering if you help us to locate some employees. 14 to be exact.'

'I can do that. Hit me with it.' Spencer then began rattling off a list of hospital employees, all of whom I knew. As Kelly was occupied with Spencer, I felt Aaron's eyes flicking towards me and lingering on my face. I didn't meet his gaze. He obviously had some issue with me.

'Here's what I've got. Dylan Matthews is ill. So is Dr. Franklin. Dr. Gilbert is on holiday in the Maldives. Dr. Penton and Arthur Darby are both on holiday in Mykonos, presumably together. Scandal. And Dr. Burrows is visiting some family in Montgomery, Alabama.'

'Oh, Montgomery's a nice city.' I said, thinking back to the two years I had spent living there as a child. Kelly rolled her eyes.

'You say that everywhere is nice.'

'Your house is nice.' Kelly opened her mouth wide, as if she'd been offended and I smirked. 'It is nice! It's cosy.' I insisted.

'Right...' Kelly gave me a knowing look and returned to her computer. 'They are all the employees with solid reasons for not being here.'

'That's 6 people.' Spencer said turning to face Aaron, who nodded thoughtfully.

'And I can find the other 8 for you now.' Kelly said, her fingers frantically tapping away on her keyboard.

'How?' Spencer asked confused and I bit my lip. Did she really want to be telling a pair of FBI agents that she frequently hacked into the CCTV cameras of a hospital?

'I can check the CCTV cameras.' Kelly said calmly and I shot a quick look over at Aaron to see what he made of this. If he was shocked or alarmed he didn't show it through his expression.

'I might not be great at spreadsheets, which is what I'm actually paid for, but I'm great at tracking people on CCTV. And I'm kindly giving you guys my services. For a price.' She continued, flashing a smile and I saw Spencer's brows furrow and he opened his mouth to say something.

'Jokes, you guys get them for free.' I took in Spencer's alarmed expression and chuckled a little. 'Because senior management is a bitch.' Kelly muttered under her breath and I raised an eyebrow. She shrugged and turned back to her screen.

'Simon Johnston is taking a smoke break. As is Dr. Roberts. And Dr. Cunningham. And Alex Rivera. Really guys, smoking kills.' I looked over at Kelly in disbelief and she just smiled innocently. Now that she had FBI agents to talk to she felt better.

'And Dr. Bartholomew?' Aaron finally met my eyes with some trepidation. So now he could look at me? What was going on?

'In surgery.' I confirmed, giving him only a quick glance before turning back to Kelly who was gawking over her computer screen. 'What?' I asked curiously. She didn't answer, her eyes growing wider. 'What?'

I skirted round the table to see what was keeping Kelly silent, leaning onto the table to try and make out the blurry images. On the screen was the CCTV footage of the second floor store cupboard and it showed Dr. Turnbull, a respected kidney and lung surgeon who I knew was well into his forties, and Patricia, one of the second floor receptionists, going at it. Against the wall. Wearing very little clothing.

'Oh my gosh,' I breathed, looking across at Kelly who had a startled look on her face.

'Is that Patricia? Patricia Yates?

'Yes...'

'No, Trish! You can do better than him! He's a dick!' I didn't even care about Spencer and Aaron's presence anymore. I was too buy giggling over the predicament.

'He's also single and a millionaire.' I reminded her.

'IS HE?' Kelly exclaimed loudly and I tried to stifle my laughs.

'Yes! He inherited a load of money from a Belgian second cousin or something.'

'Then why the hell is he still working here? If I was a millionaire I be in the Caribbean right now being fanned with palm leaves and sipping a mojito.' We were both partial to a mojito.

'Obviously, Patricia is giving him something.' I said, glancing back to the CCTV footage. One of the shelves stacked high with medical tools was looking dangerously close to collapsing onto the floor but if Trish or Tony were concerned, they didn't show it. They were too busy.

'What? A blow job?' We both descended into fits of giggles again.

'I'm never going into that store cupboard again.' Kelly said, a look of slight disgust on her face. 'Ever. And I'm not open to bribes.'

I took in Spencer and Aaron's startled expressions and cleared my throat. 'Yes, ahem - Dr. Turnbull is in the second floor store cupboard.' I said, shooting an amused look at Kelly who was smirking. 'But I'd give him a minute.'

'Maybe more than a minute...' Kelly muttered and I let out a snort but tried to cover it up with a cough.

'And the rest of the names Kelly?' I said, trying to steer the conversation away from Tony's sex life and back to the matter at hand.

'Right. Yes. The names. The rest of the names.' Kelly cleared her throat and began furiously clicking the keys, quickly scanning through the hundreds of security cameras. 'Yeah - I can't find them...'

'Who is it you're looking for?' I asked.

'Dr. Dukes and Dr. Rudd,' Spencer replied, reading off his notes. I was familiar with both of them because they both worked in the surgery unit on this floor.

'I presume they're in surgery.' I said. 'We can't have CCTV in operation rooms for some complicated security reason. Can you check that?' I turned to Kelly.

'Yep. Rudd and Dukes are both on the list to be performing whatever a coronary artery bypass grafting is right this very second.'

'Thank you,' Aaron said, scribbling something down in his notebook and not meeting my gaze. Well then.

'Actually, I remembered something else.' I looked over at Kelly who was looking hesitantly over the top of her computer screen. 'Not about the...attack, but something that might be able to help you.'

'What is it?' Aaron asked kindly.

'I heard some of the doctors talking about darkness and the devil a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't think much of it. I think they study it, like the devil is a subject in school or something. I also heard them talking about meeting at a bar downtown.'

'Really? I didn't hear about that.' I said. I'd never heard any of my colleagues talking about being a part of a devil cult study group.

'It's amazing what people talk about when they think you're on the phone.' Kelly said with a shrug. 'They're always going on about it in the break room.'

'Can you remember which doctors were talking?' Aaron pressed.

'Dr. Dukes and Dr. Cunningham were the ones having the conversation, but I'm sure there are more of them involved in the group.' Kelly said and Aaron nodded.

'We'll set them as our priority - and get some agents out their homes to take a look round.' Aaron said and Spencer nodded, reaching into his pocket for his phone. Just as he began dialing a number, a pair of high-heeled footsteps began echoing down the hall. I looked up. It was my next patient, Sacha King.

'Good morning - ' I called, straightening my taupe pencil skirt and cream blouse, and Sacha ran a hand through her dark, almost black, hair.

'Morning. I'm on time, aren't I?' Sacha asked anxiously and I checked my watch to see that she was, in fact, five minutes early.

'You're so on time, you're early.' I said with a smile, and ushered her into my office. 'See you later, Kel?'

'You betcha - ' She said, biting on the end of a pen as the phone started ringing.

'And I'll probably see you around, Agent Reid.' I said, who had just finished his phone call. He nodded in my direction and shot me a small smile. 'And Agent Hotchner.' I looked Aaron squarely in the eyes as his hands fidgeted by his sides and he cleared his throat.

'Yes, I dare say - ' He said, staring back at me, and I could feel my heart beginning to beat faster. Why did he have to be so handsome? It wasn't fair. It also wasn't fair that our sole reason for meeting had been because of a serial killer.

\- Thanks for reading guys! Your thoughts?


	23. Viginti Duo

'See you tomorrow, Kel!' I called, closing my office door and locking it with the key that was attached to my lanyard. I'd already texted my dad and explained that I'd be picking the girls up at about 7 as I was sure the meeting that had unexpectedly been announced this morning would go on for at least 2 hours. At least. 

'Yeah, bye - ' Kelly shouted, her voice drowsy. I blamed the five cups of coffee she'd consumed that day. 'Have fun!'

'Ha bloody ha - ' I said with a roll of my eyes, hooking my bag onto my shoulder and brushing the hair from my eyes. 'You're hilarious.'

'I know, right?' Kelly stuck her tongue out at me and I retaliated by doing the same.

Inwardly groaning, I left Kelly to her spreadsheets and made my way down the corridor before stopping in front of the elevator and hitting the button. While I absolutely loved my job, I didn't love all of my colleagues and I particularly had problems with a number of the heads of department who decided everything that happened within the hospital. I really wasn't in the mood for an argument.

The doors glided open to reveal a fairly packed space of nurses, doctors, receptionists and patients. I stepped inside, wedging myself into a corner and pressed the button marked with a G to signify the ground floor. Just as the doors began to shuffle closed, I heard a call from down the corridor.

'Hold it!' I stuck my foot in the door and peered out to see Aaron half-jogging half-walking towards the doors, his face strained. As soon as he saw me, his face softened slightly and I stepped back to allow him to enter.

'Thanks,' he said, giving me an appreciative nod and slotting in behind a group of chattering nurses, all of which ignored him.

'What floor?'

'Um - ground floor, please,' he said, blinking several times in my direction before looking at his feet. I was determined not to let his presence affect me.

The elevator began its slow descent and I detected a waft of sickeningly strong perfume from the elderly woman stood next to me. Pressing a hand to my temple, I tried to massage away the beginnings of the headache I'd detected 10 minutes before with no immediate success. That was when I noticed the man stood diagonally behind me and his vibrant green eyes that were fixated on me.

Or rather, not me. But my boobs.

Rolling my eyes, I rested my head against the cool metal walls of the elevator. I was aware that my boobs were bigger than average - but then what is an 'average' bust size anyway? - but that didn't mean they totally obscured my face, making it impossible to form eye-contact with me.

I stared back at the offending man, noticing that none of the other passengers of the elevator seemed to have notice the man's wandering gaze. I hadn't seen him before, meaning he was most probably a patient, or was visiting someone in the hospital. I glared at him, hoping he would fix his eyes elsewhere. But, if anything, he gaze became even more fervent.

I just wanted to go home and see the girls. Wait, I wanted to go home and see the girls and eat. Pretty much all the heads thought they knew everything about the world of medicine and organization when in reality they only knew about one selective field and made organizing look painfully difficult. And they weren't the ones seeing patients every day and who knew what consulting was actually like. They just sat in their offices and looked at their PhDs lining the walls.

The elevator suddenly jarred to a halt. A number of people shuffled off and a few stepped on, and we left the bubble of chatter from the second floor as we began to descend again. Finally, there was room to breathe. Aaron was now free from where he'd been trapped behind a group of nurses and I noticed he was trying very hard not to look in my direction. Instead, his eyes were fixed on a poster advertising the blood drive next week - his jaw tense - while the pedophilic man continued to stare at my boobs.

I realised a smile had slipped onto my face while I had been looking over in Aaron's direction; I had definitely not spent the last two minutes checking him out. I shook myself awake, and straightened up, cringing slightly at the dull pain in my head. I couldn't think of anything to say to him that didn't directly involve the case and I figured that I probably shouldn't be discussing FBI business with perverts anyway.

That's all our relationship seemed to be now. Yes, we'd agreed that I would look after Jack again on Thursday but we'd lost the ability to easily converse with each other like we had before. The only things we seemed to talk about were dead people and paperwork. A great relationship, really.

And why was I using the word relationship? I was assisting very slightly in an ongoing murder investigation. We had no relationship. He was the father of a boy in Lola's class. A boy I might have very quickly become quite attached to, but still. Our relationship was void. And non-existant.

The elevator stopped. Just one more level of procrastination before I had to face the boardroom of nightmares and headaches. The pedophilic smiled widely at me and passed me a scrunched up piece of paper. 'Call me,' he muttered, grinning. I grinned back, even winking at him as he disembarked and put a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, despite being in a very well lit hospital.

My grin morphed into a look of disgust as the elevator doors slid shut. Giving the number a one-over - it was written on the back of a receipt where he'd bought two packets of cigarettes and a bag of cheese and onion chips - I shredded it into little pieces and sprinkled it into my bag.

'No, I will not call you, Matt.' I exaggerated, noticing that Aaron's eyes were hard and sharp and were looking off into the distance as though he could still see the man through the layers of steel. 'You're not my type. Any my type consists of men who actually take the time to talk to me before they give me their number. And men who don't stare at my breasts for an inordinate amount of time.'

The silence that suddenly filled the elevator was so palpable I could almost touch it. It was because I said breasts, wasn't it? Why did I say breasts? Oh, well done, Lizzy.

Because they are a part of the female anatomy and you are a gynecologist, Lizzy. That's why.

I know! But men always get a bit awkward when you say the word breasts, don't they? Even though they technically have them too and can still get breast cancer because of it.

Aaron cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his shirt. I rubbed the sole of my shoe against my ankle and rummaged in my bag for a mint. We were trying very hard not to look at each other. Or make a sound.

I really should offer Aaron a mint, shouldn't I? Was there a mint etiquette? That because I had a mint, I had to offer one to anyone within my immediate vicinity? Did it seem selfish if I didn't?

I was very confused. And anxious to leave the fizzing tension of the elevator. But I also just wanted to lean against the wall and stare at Aaron for as long as I could.

Or for as long as he'd let me before he filed a restraining order.

The doors opened. Oh. Did I have to get off already? My eyes flicked over to Aaron as I gathered my things and exited. The boardrooms were all located far away from any of the facilities used by patients and involved a lengthy trek down many corridors.

I turned right and paused for a moment to check my very minimal make-up in a mirror. I didn't want to have lipstick smeared across my face. I noticed Aaron wavering, his eyes searching for something as he looked around at his surroundings.

'Where are you heading?' I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.

'I'm meeting with Alex Rivera. I was told I could find him here.' Alex was a nurse who mainly dealt with muscle and joint injuries like torn ligaments or twisted muscles. I didn't know him too well, but had seen him around often enough.

'His room is this way. I could show you - ' I said, gesturing down the corridor. 'I'm going this way myself.'

'Thank you.' Aaron said, giving me a tight smile. We walked in synchronization down the corridor, our shoes echoing on the tiled floor. 

'No problem.'

'Morgan was supposed to be helping me but he's still searching an address with David.' Aaron said and I nodded. 'The information you and Kelly gave us earlier was very useful. We've managed to work down the list considerably.'

'That's great. Does anything look promising?'

'We're not sure.' He said, tight-lipped. That's a no, then.

'Well, I'm off to a meeting with the rest of the gynecology department which will consist of people telling me that I need to see more patients and spend less money and cut corners and turn me into a worse doctor.' I said, my tone light but my words serious. 'So, naturally, I'm not going to listen.'

I thought I saw Aaron open his mouth to speak but he didn't say anything. I must have imagined it. Because I was so transfixed by Aaron's looks that my brain had begun to hallucinate.

'This is where Alex usually works.' I said, knocking on the door with my knuckles before opening it. Sure enough Alex, a curly-haired blue-eyed nurse was pulling on a pair of trainers. He looked like he was on his way out. Not anymore.

'You've got a visitor.' I said, stepping aside so Aaron could enter the small room, covered in posters showing different parts of the body.

'Thanks.' He said, turning back to look at me. My heart fluttered as he locked eyes with me for a moment. 'And good luck with your meeting.' His gaze stayed on me for a few more seconds before he shut the door. Inside, I could hear him introduced himself to Alex but I had zoned out.

I recalled what Penelope had said about Aaron. He almost never smiled. But, unless I had entered a state of delirium, I was sure that was what had graced his face only seconds before.

\- Thanks for reading! What do you guys think so far?


	24. Viginti Tres

As I had predicted, by the time I was walking out of the hospital's doors the time had long passed 7pm. And, as I had also predicted, the meeting had involved a lot of discrete eye-rolling on my part and a lot of pointless changes being considered by the heads of department. The meeting had only been a brainstorming session though, meaning there was plenty of time for me to convince them that the majority of their ideas were completely unnecessary.

On my way out, I'd bought a bottle of water from one of the vending machines and by the time I'd walked to the back of the hospital, where the car park was located, I'd already drunk the entirety of it. There was nothing like drowning my sorrows in a substance that made up 60% of the human body.

Before approaching my car - one of the few remaining in the entire parking lot - I took a detour past the group of dumpsters used to dispose of every bit of waste produced in the hospital. I passed the three specially reserved for medical equipment or chemical products and proceeded to throw my empty bottle away.

As I stepped back, the putrid aroma of rubbish filling my nose, I noticed a long, dark and solid shadow on the floor. In the dark evening light, I couldn't make out what was causing the it. My curiosity winning out, I crouched down, my eyes narrowing as I searched between the dumpsters to find object large enough to cause the shadow. My heart froze as my eyes latched onto something partially hidden behind one of the dumpsters.

No...It wasn't...My eyes were tricking me...

I edged forward, the hairs on my arms standing on end although I wasn't sure if this was down to my predicament or the chilly weather. My muscles were clenched tightly together as I nudged the object on the floor with my foot. It didn't move.

I reached into my pocket and took out my phone, seeing it was now 7:18pm, and held the light onto the floor. Nothing, at first. Then the light fell onto a hospital ID card. Liv Ling. Assistant Nurse. I knew Liv. She was nice. But she'd just dropped her ID card, right?. Yeah, she'd just dropped it.

Near the dumpster?

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shifted the light of my phone upwards slightly. What the?

I jumped backwards, dropping my phone onto the gravel and collapsing onto my back. I didn't feel any pain from my fall because my entire body was being fueled by adrenaline. My heart was pulsing and I realised my hands were shaking. I was going to be sick. I was going to be sick. My eyes were lying. It wasn't...No, it wasn't...

Crawling onto my knees, I took my phone in my shaking hand and scanned the area again.

Lying on the floor, swimming in a pool of crimson blood, was Liv. Her dark almond eyes were wide open, but the rest of her face was obliterated with angry red slashes. Her arms lay limp at her sides, her wrists circled with jagged red lines. Her white nurse's uniform was dyed scarlet and her stomach was marked with five deep cuts, each one slowly leaching blood.

I pressed two of my shaking fingers to the sides of Liv's neck. I could feel no breath on my face as I leaned over nor detect any movement of her chest as she lay on the ground. She couldn't be alive, her injuries were far too extensive for that. I knew that. Yet I was still searching for a pulse, for some sign of life. And every second that passed without my fingers detecting a pulse caused the bile in my throat to rise and my hands to shake even more.

Nothing. But judging from the blood still leaking from her wounds, she'd been killed recently.

Fuck. Fuck.

My first instinct was to stumble to my feet and take my phone firmly in my hand. I scanned the area around me, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. The hospital stood behind me, white light glowing through the windows. The almost deserted parking lot was in front of me, void of people. I knew that my heart rate was probably bordering an unhealthy level but I couldn't calm down.

What if the un-sub came back? No, that was ridiculous. The BAU would know if he returned to his crime scenes or stuck around, wouldn't they?

With shaking hands, I called the latest number to be added to my speed-dial list: the hot-line number established for any information regarding the un-sub. And this was certainly information.

As slowly and clearly as I could, I explained my location to the officer on the line while my eyes nervously flickered around the parking lot. I was the only person here. I was sure of it. Well, the only person alive.

The officer explained that they'd be there as soon as the could and I returned my phone to my pocket. I considered returning to my car and locking myself in but I couldn't bring myself to move. I couldn't just leave Liv there, defenseless and vulnerable.

Despite having a job in the medical sector, I'd never actually seen a dead body. Even my brief stint as a wannabe coroner had warranted me any contact with a cadaver. And it was one thing hearing about murders on the news, but it was another thing entirely to find the dead body of an ex-colleague in the parking lot.

I didn't like the feeling.

In the distance and quickly drawing nearer, I could hear the familiar blare of sirens and the see the flashing of red and blue lights. Sure enough, a swarm of police cars and black SUVs entered the parking lot and I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and walk towards them.

The blaring siren echoed around my brain as I stalked forwards, increasing the dull pain caused by my head ache. I began to notice the cold too, now that the initial adrenaline was beginning to wear off and even my thick blue coat was doing little to protect me against the chill. Every nerve in my body was standing on edge.

'Did you call in about a murder?' The first cop who approached me certainly didn't waste time with formalities. I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself.

'The body is over there.' I said, pointing over the dumpsters. He nodded and a collection of officers suddenly descended on Liv's corpse, barking commands at each other.

The words felt dry in mouth. The body. As though Liv wasn't a person anymore. Just a thing. An object.

'Lizzy! Lizzy!' I turned around to see the BAU team diving out of two SUV's. JJ ran over to me, her face pale.

'You discovered the body, right?' She asked me in a soft voice, placing a hand on my shoulder.

'Yeah. Liv's body is over there.' I breathed and JJ nodded. I saw Spencer, Emily and Derek descend into the crowd of officers all inspecting Liv's body whereas David and Aaron started talking with the officer who had first talked to me - the officer in charge of the case, I presumed.

'Are you okay?' I shrugged, giving JJ a small smile.

'It was a bit of a shock.' I said, slowly. 'I'd never seen a dead body before.' JJ wrapped her arm around my shoulders and led me over to my car, while she explained just what procedures were going to take place. I'd probably have to answer a few questions, but I was in no way considered a suspect. That hadn't even crossed my mind.

I hopped up onto the bonnet of my car, and helped JJ up (my car was a dark blue Range Rover meaning the bonnet was quite a way off the ground and JJ was quite small). In front of me, the police and the familiar faces of the agents were all blurring together into one mass in the semi-darkness. The only thing I saw clearly was Liv's body lying broken on the ground.

Liv had only been killed in the last 10 minutes, seeing as her blood was still fresh. I had stopped for a few minutes to buy my bottle of water. I'd had a short conversation with Sylvie and I'd asked about her fiancé.

If I hadn't, Liv might be alive. Or, at the very least, she could have received some medical help.

'You sure you're okay?' JJ repeated, her voice soft.

'If I had walked a bit quicker out of the hospital or hadn't stopped to talk with Sylvie, Liv might sill be alive.' My words hit me. I could have saved her. I could have done something. 'I could have saved her.'

'You can't save everybody, Lizzy. You have to get used to that in this job. And, you're not to blame when you don't save everybody. This isn't your fault. This guy was going to kill Liv no matter what you did. It's not your fault.'

'It's not my fault.' I repeated, my voice barely more than a whisper.

Next to me, I felt JJ shift as she brushed some hair from her face. 'The team need some more light. They're asking for all available lights to be directed towards them.' I nodded, hopping down onto the ground, opening my car door and flicking my headlights on without a thought. A bright beam of light was now directed towards the crime scene and I could see some of the details more clearly.

As well as the floor, Liv's blood was sprayed onto the dumpsters and the back wall of the hospital. Her coffee-brown skin looked startingly pale in the bright lights, making the blood appear to be even more vivid.

My hands were still shaking.

My phone buzzed in my hand. It was Aimee wondering what time I would be picking the girls up, because my mother was questioning whether she should give them a bath.

I told her I'd really appreciate that because an unforeseen problem had come up and I'd be there as soon as I could. I finished the message with a smiling emoji.

Something inside of me cracked when I sent the message. I wasn't lying to my sister, not really, but it felt wrong keeping the whole truth from her. I did want to tell her. But I doubted it was the sort of thing that could be relayed over text and I didn't think I could manage an entire phone call without my voice breaking. And I didn't want my mother panic, which was her favourite thing to do beside cooking and gardening.

I looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Aaron, Emily and Derek were walking towards me, all with grim looks on their faces. JJ squeezed my hand and I gave her a small smile.

'It's definitely the same un-sub.' Aaron said as a way of introduction. All notion of his awkwardness had disappeared.

'And this is his 5th victim in the last week and a half. He's deteriorating.' Emily said, but I wasn't wholly listening. Liv's body was being inserted into a body bag and was then transported onto a gurney. I couldn't tear my eyes away even though I knew the image of Liv's body was now permanently implanted into my head.

Someone had thought she wasn't good enough for this world and had sinned. Someone had made that call and decided to take it into their own hands and kill her.

'Lizzy? Are you okay?' My eyes jolted away from Liv's body and met Aaron's. It was the first time he'd directly addressed me using the name which everyone knew me by. The name that felt more personal to me than Lizanne ever had.

'Yeah. I'm just...trying not to look.' I said, looking down at my swinging legs.

'You faint at the sight of blood?' Derek asked, a teasing tone in his voice. I knew he was trying to lighten the mood but I was still trying to process that I had just found a dead body behind the dumpster.

'No. But I might - and nearly did - at the sight of a woman reduced to a human pin cushion.' I said, my voice flat. I immediately regretted it because Derek looked as though I'd told him his childhood pet had died.

'Sorry.' I said, massaging my temples with my fingers. This was not helping my headache. 'I'm just tired. And I think it's finally hit me just how real this is. That someone is actually targeting hospital employees and it might be me next.' JJ gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and I forced a long breath out my lungs

'If he follows the pattern he's already established, then his next kill should be within the next 24 hours.' Emily said, as though this information was going to reassure me.

'But we are very close. We have a very small list of current suspects. We'll get the bastard.' Derek confirmed.

'I know you will.' I bit my lip, looking up from my feet. 'And I know that you've all been working really hard. But I can't help being slightly freaked out. I did just find a dead body.' I'd been feeling fairly calm at work that day because I figured that I couldn't be target as I had deleted my address. But Liv had been killed at the hospital. And Sara had been killed on the sidewalk.

I wasn't any safer.

No one spoke and I noticed that Aaron's eyes had been focusing on me for the entirety of our conversation. I didn't know how that made me feel. Was it Aaron causing my fluttering heartbeat? Or was it the cold? Or the shock?

Without speaking, Emily reached into her coat pocket, brought out a small card and passed it to me.

'That's my number.' She said. 'And Reid's is exactly the same with a 47 at the end and Rossi's is the same with a 63 at the end.'

'You've got mine.' JJ said and I nodded. Derek reached into his pocket and passed me another small card.

'That's mine.'

'And you've got mine.' Aaron finished, and there was a steadiness in his voice that caused me to meet his gaze, which I'd been avoiding for the majority of the conversation. I didn't want to cause my heart any extra palpitations and give myself a heart attack.

'Thanks.' I said, clutching the cards in my hand.

'If you're worried about anything at any time, call one of us.' Emily said firmly but with a smile on her face. 'Seriously, any time.' I nodded.

She then turned to face Aaron and Derek. 'I'm going to go and canvas the area. We might be able to find some DNA. Maybe even a murder weapon. This time it seemed as though he was rushing and he might have been more careless.' Aaron nodded and after giving me another smile, she wandered over to the perimeter of the parking lot and began searching in bushes.

'I'll go too.' Derek said, following after Emily.

'You don't need to stay, you know.' Aaron said, his eyes flickering to the phone clutched in my hand. 'You can go home. See your family. You must be tired.' I slowly shook my head. I was tired. I did want to see my family. But I wasn't leaving.

'You need my car lights.' I explained, and Aaron gave me a sharp look as though even he was disappointed with my pitiful excuse. 'And I'm not leaving until everything with Liv is sorted out. I owe her that much.' Aaron nodded. His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket and he looked at it, a stern look on his face.

'Excuse me,' He said, turning away and taking several steps forward.

'Haven't you some super important work you should be doing instead of talking to me?' I asked JJ, turning to her.

'Nope. I've no press conferences to make at this time of night. Thankfully, this murder hasn't been noticed by the press yet. And there's no family members for me to comfort.'

'Then why are you still here?'

'Because I'm still a part of the team. And while I might not officially be a profiler, I'm occasionally allowed a bit of input. And it's usually me or Emily given the task of comforting shaken-up members of the public.' She nudged me gently in the ribs.

Despite the immediate crime scene being lit up like a firework show, the rest of the parking lot was eerily dark in comparison. And I'd never liked the dark. It had been my number one fear as a child. That, and balloons. And while I wasn't afraid anymore per say, I still wasn't entirely comfortable in it. And especially not when I'd just discovered a dead body.

It was the fact you couldn't see who or what was there that frightened me the most. The fact that something could be hidden right before your eyes, you just couldn't see it. And now I began seeing the un-sub everywhere. Every sway of a branch or creak of a tree put me on edge. I felt sure he was going to come back and get me. Which was absolutely ridiculous.

I looked down at Emily and Derek's numbers printed on the two cards. JJ and Aaron's numbers were already saved in my contacts. I was behaving so erratically that I now had access to 6 FBI agents - 7 if you counted Pen's - numbers, just in case I had a random moment of panic. I needed to get a grip.

Knowing I could call any of the team at a moment's notice still didn't fully calm me.

To try and distract my wandering eyes from seeing monsters that didn't actually exist, I began humming the song that had been stuck in my head all day. Christina Aguilera was usually guaranteed to put me in a good mood but this time, it didn't seem to be doing any good.

'Sure, I'm coming.' JJ said suddenly, bravely jumping from the bonnet of my car. 'I need to speak to some of the officers. Are you sure you're okay?'

'Yeah, I'm fine.' I said, forcing a smile. JJ nodded, before walking towards the flurry of agents and officers that were standing around the crime scene.

'I'll just be a minute, JJ - ' Aaron said suddenly, returning his phone to his pocket. I'd almost forgotten that we'd ever been talking. Had he even been near the crime scene yet? Why was he spending so much time talking to me?

Aaron didn't say anything for a moment; he just stood there while a slightly uncomfortable silence passed between us. I was trying to look at anything other than Aaron. But then, I didn't want to look at the crime scene either.

'I looked through the details you gave us.' Aaron said. 'You were born in Oklahoma. I'm guessing you can shoot a gun?'

'Where'd you get that idea?' I muttered, before I could stop myself. I was surprised that Aaron had even bothered to learn that piece of information about me. A second of silence passed. 'I could shoot before I could multiply.'

'And would a gun make you feel safer?' I considered the severity of what he was saying. That my nerves and my paranoia had reached a level that he thought a firearm could possibly calm me. I shook my head.

'I don't want a gun in the house.' I explained, knowing that Aaron must understand as he too was a parent. 'No. I'll be fine.' I was being childish and needed to pull myself together. I didn't need a gun. I didn't. 'There's not many ways to actually get into the house. We have a pretty tight security system.' I said.

'Okay, as long as you're sure.' Aaron said and I nodded again. No. I wasn't having a gun.

'I am.'

'Well, make sure you leave the lights on at night and keep all doors and windows locked at all times. We're going to find this man, Lizzy - ' I looked up at him as he said my name. 'He's not going to harm you or anyone else. I promise.'

'AARON! You can't ignore me forever!' David's shouts reached my ears and I felt a small smile appear on my face. Aaron let out a sigh and looked down at his feet.

'You should go. They need you.' I said. Aaron looked up, his dark eyes capturing me.

'So should you. Your family need you as well.'

FEATURED SONGS:  
Christina Aguilera - Keeps Gettin Better

\- Love you guys! :D


	25. Viginti Quattour

The light from the open fridge glared in my face - reminding me of the flashing police lights - as I grabbed two peach yogurts from the slowly decreasing stash. Lola and Lexi were both curled up on the sofa - Lexi in her Disney princess pajamas and Lola in her paw print ones - watching a documentary on ducks. Or rather, Lola was watching the documentary and Lexi was wriggling like a worm and nattering on about her school day.

'Here you go!' I said, passing the girls their yogurts along with two spoons.

Behind me, the microwave dinged signifying the black bean curry my mother had forced me to take home had sufficiently re-heated. Personally, I didn't really like Mexican food but right at this moment I would take anything. My stomach felt like it was beginning to gnaw away at my insides and the only thing I'd been able to think about on the ride home had been food.

The enticing scent of spices wafted out from the microwave as I quickly spooned out the leftovers onto a plate. My stomach ran like a clock; it needed to be fed at a certain time. And 9pm was not an acceptable dinner time.

Like me, my mother also had an obsession with cooking but our tastes were quite different. Whereas I much preferred to make sweet things like cakes and biscuits or Italian food at the very least, my mother would rather spend her energy making a hearty, filling main meal. Like said black bean curry.

My stomach rumbling, I took this as a hint to start eating. I sat down at the table - I did have a separate dining room that only got used at Christmas and birthdays - and shoveled two forkfuls of rice, bean and mince into my mouth, ignoring the sudden spark of heat. I might not be an avid fan of Mexican food, but my mom sure could cook.

I continued to eat with vigor as I watched a line of ducklings plop into the water after their mother. Lola really was an animal addict. Pretty much every item she owned was animal-themed in some way and the item on the top of her Christmas list for the last 4 years had been a dog. She lived and breathed animals.

On the dog front, this was something she continued to ask for but something I continued to reject. We just couldn't have a dog. I was at work all day and me and Lola had both agreed it was cruel to keep a dog locked inside all day. This didn't stop her from asking however. And, I was determined to work something out. I just didn't know how.

As I finished the last mouthful, I noticed Lexi stifle a yawn for the third time in the last minute. This was a good sign. My plan most of the time was to tire Lexi out to the point of exhaustion so she simply had to sleep. I knew that this probably wasn't the best way to do things, but she just would not sleep otherwise. She still struggled to stay in her bed for a full 8 hour period and she was 6. That was a problem you had with toddlers. But, I insisted that it was just a phase.

'Come on, Lex, you look tired - ' I said, popping my plate into the sink. The dishwasher was full of items I'd placed in there this morning which I'd yet to tidy away and there was no point starting a new wash for a singular plate.

'But I'm not tired!' She insisted, stretching her arms above her head.

'Yes you are,' I said with a smirk, taking hold of one of her hands and slowly pulling her to her feet. 'Let's go, Lex.'

'Night night!' Lola said with a smile, putting her empty yogurt pot onto the side table and laying down with her head on a cushion.

'You're next, Loles.' I said, gathering Lexi's teddy bears as she raced upstairs to brush her teeth. So much for her being tired. Lola nodded and snuggled back under her blanket.

I passed the bathroom and Lex dancing around as she brushed her teeth and entered her bedroom. It was the smallest of the five bedrooms the property came with and the entire room was decorated in pastel blues and pinks, which where Lexi's favourite colours. I peeled back the duvet, plumped up the cushions and neatly arranged her teddies on the far side of the bed.

'Come on, doodle bug - ' I said as she padded out of the bathroom, her wavy blonde hair sticking out from all angles. Doodle bug was the nicknamed I'd granted her ever since she began her obsession with drawing and coloring.

'Can you read?' She asked, snuggling under the covers, her bright blue eyes peering out from over the top. I still marveled at her cuteness.

'It's a bit late tonight.' I said softly, kneeling down next to her. 'I promise I'll read tomorrow, okay?' I tickled her under her chin as her face fell.

'Why were you so late?' I sighed, tucking some hair behind her ear.

'It was something at work, sweetie. Something I had to deal with.' Lexi didn't press me any further, just took one of her teddy bears and clamped it to her chest.

'Night, Mommy.' She said and I smiled wide.

'Night night, sweetie.' I pressed a kiss to her forehead and got to my feet, blowing her a kiss as I switched the light off. 'I love you, sweet dreams.'

I gently brought the door closed, a sliver of light from the hall creeping into the room. I quietly padded down the stairs to see Lola still curled up, watching her duck documentary.

'Come on Loles - ' I said, picking up her yogurt pot and throwing it in the trash. 'It's late.'

'5 more minutes? It's almost finished.' Lola begged, her face lighting up.

'Fine. 5 more minutes.' I said with a smirk, sitting next to her on the sofa and nestling her under my arm. 'Was everyone okay at Grandmas?' I'd stopped for all of five minutes, saying a quick hello and bye to everyone and then leaving with my leftovers in tow. Lola nodded.

'I heard Grandma and Auntie Aimee talking about the man who's killing people.' She said slowly and I met her gaze, her hazel eyes wide. It always surprised me how Lola's eyes were a light hazel and Lexi's were a gray blue, identical to my own.

'A lot of people are talking about him.' I said, curling a strand of her hair around my finger. 'He's been all over the news.'

'But I heard them saying that he's only killing people who work at St. Addison's Hospital. That's where you work, isn't it? Are they right?' I knew I shouldn't have told my mother anything because of course she would have gone to Aimee and told her everything I said. Well done, Mom.

'Yes, that's where I work.' I said, watching Lola's worried expression. 'And I think they're right.'

'Is he going to hurt you?' Lola asked, her eyes growing even wider and she looked as though she was going to burst into tears. 'I don't want you to die.'

'Oh, sweetie - ' I exclaimed, wrapping both my arms around her and kissing the top of her head. 'Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise. I'm not going anywhere, okay? That man can't hurt us.'

'But he can - ' Lola started, but I cut her off. I wouldn't let him frighten my children like this. I wasn't going to let him win.

'All the doors and windows are locked which means he can't get in without us knowing about it. And, if we know about it, we can call the police.' I lightly tapped Lola's nose and she smiled slightly.

'And they can come and arrest him.'

'Exactly. And, Grandma taught me some ways to defend yourself from when she worked in the police.'

'Really?' Lola asked, sounding surprised. 'So you could fight him off?' My limited fighting skills definitely didn't warrant being able to 'fight him off' but I wasn't going to say this.

'Yeah. He's not going to get anywhere near us. I promise.' I suddenly thought back to Aaron offering me a gun. I wasn't going to mention that, nor the fact that I could actually shoot one. I would save that for another day.

'So, we're really safe?' Lola asked.

'Really safe.' I said, stroking her hair. 'And I've also got 7 FBI agents on speed dial, who we can ring if anything does happen, which it won't. So we're extra, extra safe.'

'Is one of those agents Jack's dad?' She looked up at me when she said this and I nodded. Whatever method she could use to get Jack into a conversation, she would take. She talked about him all the time and I was really happy that she had such a good friend.

'Jack talks about him all the time. He doesn't get to see him a lot because he works so hard but he knows that he's helping people.' This struck a chord with me as this was similar to what happened with myself and the girls.

'He saves lives, sweetie. I know it must be hard on Jack but I'm sure he tries his best to spend time with him.'

'You save lives too, though. And you still manage to spend a lot of time with us. Why is it different with Jack?' I wondered what Lola and Jack had been talking about to warrant this conversation but I wasn't determined to give her some form of answer.

'Aaron has to travel a lot. He goes all over the country, you know. He's trying to catch killers and other really bad people, Loles. It's not a job he can just leave at a moments notice. I'm sure he tries his best to see Jack as much as he can.'

'I know. Jack was just saying he wishes that he could see him a bit more.'

'I'm sure he does.' I said, suddenly reflecting on the time that I spent with the girls. It was my number one priority to spend as much time with the girls as possible. Why wouldn't this be on Aaron's agenda too?

But I didn't track and trace killers and rapists. I knew how involving and absorbing a case could be from my experience with this one. So doing that on a regular basis for days at a time could not have been easy. For Jack or for Aaron.

'Come on, bed. I'm sure this has been more than 5 minutes.' Sure enough, the duck documentary had long finished and had moved onto a program about a famous basketball player that I'd never heard of.

Lola gathered her things and wandered up stairs to brush her teeth. On passing Lexi's room, I popped my head in the door to see that she was sleeping soundly. Result.

Lola's bedroom was next to Lexi's and was decorated a warming yellow colour with lots of animal accents.

'I promise I'll read tomorrow.' I said, looking up at the clock to see that it was 9:20pm. Yikes. 'It's a bit late now. Okay?'

'Okay.' Lola mumbled as she hopped into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. I kneeled down next to her and kissed her forehead.

'You've absolutely nothing to worry about, alright? You're safe here. He's not going to hurt you or Lexi or me or anyone.' Lola nodded, her eyes half closed already.

'Night night, sweetie.'

'Night Mommy.' Lola replied, her voice weary.

'I love you. Sweet dreams - ' I called, as I switched the light off and gently closed the door.

Sweet dreams. Yeah right. My dreams were certainly not going to be plagued by the gruesome image of Liv's body lying broken and beaten on the floor, her eyes still open.

No, I was going to sleep so soundly.

\- I hope you guys enjoyed this! Tell me what you think :D


	26. Viginti Quinque

I bolted out of the elevator doors and dodged past an approaching group of patients. After a restless night, plagued by nightmares about the un-sub, I had pressed the snooze button a few too many times and was now cutting it close for time. I'd managed to get the girls to school on time but, thanks to the early morning traffic, my first patient of the day was due in 5 minutes and I'd yet to even unlock the door to my office.

I rushed over to Kelly who didn't look up from her computer screen as I approached her desk. She was sporting a cream sweater with sequined pink stars on it and her lips were painted a vibrant orange colour which looked all the more vivid because of her tanned skin. She looked completely effortless and put together.

I, in contrast, felt like a sloth.

'Hey,' I breathed, rummaging in my bag for a hair tie. I wasn't having a good hair day and even though my hair was at the length where a ponytail wasn't an option - it was more of a blonde tuft on the back of my head- I didn't want to fight with my hair all day.

'Someone's cutting it fine - ' She said, looking up at the clock. 'Vanessa Nadin's appointment is in 4 minutes. What happened to 'I'm always 10 minutes early?' She raised one of her penciled eyebrows and met my gaze.

'Didn't sleep, alarm, traffic.' I gasped as she rummaged in a drawer and brought out my office key. I despised being late and I also despised being almost late. It made me feel nervous.

'God, you look awful.' Kelly exclaimed and I narrowed my eyes, pulling my hair into a tuft at the nape of my neck and reaching for my key.

'Thanks.' I said, shrugging my trench coat from my shoulders. I'd be so pushed for time I was wearing the same cream blouse that I wore yesterday and a pair of fitted navy trousers. 'Anything to report?'

'Yes, actually.' Kelly said, springing from her chair to grab something from the printer. She passed it to me and I quickly scanned it. It was my schedule for the day. 'I've had an e-mail from Dr. Coren.'

'That can't be good.' I mused. Dr. Henry Coren was the head of gynecology and was a member of pretty much every committee that existed. Kelly was biting the inside of her cheek - it was her nervous tick. 'What?'

'He wants appointment times to be halved. 10 minutes would be a standard appointment time.' I blinked, letting Kelly's words sink in. Coren really was a prick, wasn't he?

'Well, that's ridiculous!' I cried, outraged and bewildered. 'I can't construct a safe, trustworthy relationship with a patient as well as complete all the checks accurately and safely in 10 minutes! I can barely do it in 20!'

'I told him you wouldn't be happy.' She murmured, shrugging her shoulders and pursing her lips. 'He's also calling a compulsory meeting at 5pm in Boardroom 3 that all gynecology staff members are supposed to attend.'

'I have patients until 5:40 so that will not be happening.' I defended, neatly folding my schedule in half. Thankfully, Vanessa Nadin was late because I was not finished having this conversation.

'Believe it or not, I did e-mail him telling him that but he still wants you there.'

'Then he's going to have to wait, isn't he? If he wants me to cut appointment times in order to see more patients then I dare say he can cope with me seeing to extras before his big compulsory meeting.'

'He sounded pretty adamant, Lizzy. And you need Coren on your side.' Kelly explained. That was true. I did. He was technically my boss.

'How can you know someone's tone from an e-mail, Kel? And anyway, I don't care. I'll go to his meeting after I've seen all my patients for the day and if he has a problem with that he can come and find me himself instead of pestering receptionists to pass along his messages about his stupid ass decisions.' I vented, my voice heavy with anger and frustration. I didn't care what Coren said. I wouldn't let his moronic decisions impact the health of my patients.

'Uh oh...dream-boat alert...' Kelly mumbled under her breath, her eyes urging me to look to my right. Crossing my arms, I turned my head to see Aaron, Derek and Spencer with blank expressions on the faces. 'I'm guessing that they heard everything...' Kelly whispered.

'No shit, sherlock...' I muttered and Kelly snorted. At least Kelly seemed to be feeling better. And Aaron did look rather dreamy today...

The elevator pinged open and I adverted my eyes from Aaron to see Vanessa hurry out, her chef's whites a stark contrast against her ebony skin.

'I'm sorry I'm late, I'm so sorry, the traffic was murder - ' she rambled and I forced a brisk smile onto my face.

'It's no problem.' I swept up my office key and schedule and unlocked my office door without saying another word. I was buzzing with anger. How could Coren think that shortening appointment times benefited anybody?

Vanessa shuffled inside my office, still expressing her apologies about being late and that she really should wake up earlier but I wasn't listening. I was already planning what I was going to say to Coren when I saw him later and I wasn't going to leave his office until he changed his mind.

'Tell me if he replies, Kelly - ' I called as the agents divided up and Spencer and Derek disappeared down the corridor leading to the surgery wings.

'You bet! And here, take this!' A plastic object was suddenly thrown through the air and landed at my feet, rolling across the laminated floor. I picked it up. A tube of concealer. 'You need to cover those dark circles! And your foundation looks a bit patchy, you know.'

'I hate you sometimes, you know!' I retorted, shoving the tube of concealer into my pocket. I could rock the panda trend.

'I know, that's why I love you!' Kelly replied and I rolled my eyes.

'Good morning.' I huffed, meeting Aaron's gaze for a moment before I hurtled into my office. He could think I was a angry, spiteful shrew for all I cared right now.

Coren's decision was idiotic and that was the only thing I could process in such a bad mood.

* * *  
   
My bad mood lasted the remainder of the morning and by lunch, I was close to exploding. It was incomprehensible to me just what Coren was thinking and I had the mind to go along to his office and slap some sense into him. But, considering that would get me fired, I had to take the second option.

Coffee...Urgh...

'Are you sure you're okay?' Kelly asked, as I stepped out of my office for the first time since that morning. 'You do look tired.' Coren had yet to reply to Kelly's e-mail which meant he was probably avoiding them deliberately.

Good. I hope he was scared.

'Yeah, I'm fine. You're bursting with compliments today aren't you?' I joked but Kelly just pursed her lips. 'I'm sorry I kind of bit your head off earlier.' I sighed.

'Kind off? I was be-headed!' I clutched my fingers tightly around the mug in my hand. I felt really guilty now.

'I know. I'm sorry. It's - I - I didn't get very much sleep last night. I kept thinking about Liv.' I'd been made aware that my discovering had been brought up in staff meeting that morning - which I had missed - but surprisingly, no one had asked me about it.

'I still can't believe you found a dead body in the parking lot.' Kelly exclaimed but, after taking in my expression, she swallowed and gestured for me to continue.

'And when I'm tired, I can get very bitter and bite people's heads of for no reason. Even when they're trying to help me.' Kelly gave me a small smile before narrowing her eyes at me.

'Did you use any of that concealer? Because you still look a bit...' she gestured under her eyes. 'Like a walking corpse. Wait...That was not the best analogy to use given recent events...'

'Yes, I did use it!' I said, choosing to ignore the corpse comment. 'Here, you can have it back as it's clearly not doing me any good.' I reached into my trouser pocket and passed her the tube of cream product just as a rumble of shouts and yells erupted from down the corridor.

'WHAT THE - ' Kelly burst out from her chair, her eyes wide. A number of my gynecology colleagues and some surgeons filed out of the break room, all sporting smiliar expressions. What was happening?

Just as I was about to go and make sure that no one was actually hurt or in pain Dr. Jonah Dukes appeared at the end of the corridor, his face contorted in anger. He was shouting a list of extremities and protests as Derek, shouldered by Aaron and Spencer, led Dukes into the elevator. That was when I noticed Dukes' hands were clamped in hand cuffs.

'Dukes has been arrested?' Kelly thought aloud and no one spoke for a second because we knew that he'd been arrested - we'd just seen him be escorted out the building by three FBI agents in hand cuffs - but no one really wanted to believe it. I'd never had any problems with Jonah, a heart, lung and stomach surgeon, and definitely wouldn't say he was a killer.

But one of my colleagues was.

'Those FBI agents questioned Jonah the other day.' Dr. Tomas Rudd said behind me, a cup of tea held to his lips. 'He denied that he anything to do with the murders.'

'It looks like he was lying then.' Kelly replied.

'He doesn't strike you as the killing type, does he?' Sylvie said next to me, and I admired the elegant chignon that her tumbling blonde hair was arranged in. 'He's not a particularly violent person.' I nodded.

'I know what you mean. But I no one here strikes me as the killing type but according to the FBI, one of us is.' Sylvie gave me a rueful smile.

'What about Dr. Coren? Are you happy with his latest marvelous idea?' I detected the sarcasm in her voice and didn't reply, simply gave her a look that had her coughing into her coffee. I doubted anyone within the entire department was happy with said idea.

Despite Jonah never striking me as the killing type, I did feel slightly calmer as I watched the coffee trickle into my mug. The FBI wouldn't arrest someone if they weren't a solid suspect which means there is every chance that now, if Jonah was found guilty, the murders would stop.

Bringing the scolding liquid to my lips, I stepped back out into the foyer to allow the gaggle of doctors to return to their respective spots in the break room. Personally, I'd rather spend my lunches in my office or chatting to Kelly or Sylvie; it wasn't that I didn't like my colleagues, just that the break room was hardly the most inviting place.

'Dukes was one of the people I heard talking about the devil club.' Kelly whispered in a hushed voice, looking around as hospital employees and patients walked past. Like me, I don't think she'd become fully used to discussing FBI business on a regular basis.

'Really?' She nodded.

'He seemed really passionate about it.'

'Maybe he is the killer, then.' I said, looking out towards the elevators. 'Perhaps the murders will stop now.' Kelly looked thoughtful, her pen tapping against her chin. 'What is it?'

'I don't know...Just...If Dukes has been a member of this devil club for a long time, which I think he has, wouldn't he have started killing before now?' I didn't want anything to burst my bubble of hopefulness - the murders would stop - but I couldn't ignore Kelly's words.

'That's true.' I recalled everything that Aaron and the rest of the team had ever told me about the case. 'Something could have only recently triggered his fantasies. Maybe he's having trouble at home. Think about it, he did split up from his girlfriend last week.' Everyone on the floor had heard him complaining that his girlfriend had accepted a new job in Wyoming.

'You're beginning to sound like a profiler.' Kelly teased. 'You must be hanging around Mr. Tall, dark and handsome too much.' I rolled my eyes.

'I just pick up on what people say.' I said, firmly. 'And how they say it. Like Tomas' rather gravely voice - ' I let my voice slip into a strong Bostonian accent just as Tomas walked past on his way back to his office and he playfully slapped me on the arm.

'Real good, Harmon - ' I smiled back at him as I took a sip of coffee and let the burning liquid trickle down my throat. I was still mentally planning what I was going to say to Coren later.

'Gah, this is awful - ' I complained, swallowing down another mouthful. The caffeine was going to send me crazy but I needed the caffeine to get me through the day and keep me awake.

'Are you drinking coffee?' Kelly wondered, taking a drink from her own spotty mug. I nodded, grimacing as I swallowed the final dregs. 'You must feel rough.'

Her voice was light and teasing but I could tell that behind her words was genuine worry. I never drank coffee. Anything that could sway me from my usual routine was a cause for concern.

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, hoping to hide the fact that yes, I really did feel rough. I'd slept for about 4 hours last night and that coupled with my burning frustration towards Dr. Coren and my immediate panic for the rest of my female colleagues left me feeling pretty drained.

And, judging from the expression Kelly was shooting me, I wasn't hiding it as well as I'd first thought.


	27. Viginti Sex

I swung my bag over my shoulder as I locked the door leading to my office. My appointment with Kelsey Grantham had finished a few moments ago and after I'd altered her details on the computer system and quickly tided up my office, I'd stopped procrastinating and was now making my way over to Boardroom 3 to give Dr. Coren a piece of my mind.

The majority of the floor was deserted as the rest of the gynecology department were currently in Coren's meeting. I knew for a fact that Sylvie had had patients until 5:15 so she wouldn't have been at the meeting on time either, but I wasn't entirely used to breaking the rules or ignoring orders. I was usually a stickler for organization and rules and frankly, the way I was acting was a little out of character.

That didn't mean that I would regret showing up to Dr. Coren's meeting 50 minutes late.

Kelly was sat perched behind her desk, the phone anchored between her head and shoulder, while she brought a cup of coffee to her lips. She looked up as I approached, mouthing a 'thank you' as I passed her my office key.

'Just remember, Coren is a respected member of the medical community.' Kelly whispered and I raised an eyebrow. And? What else? 'And a dick. I think. I've never actually met him but - ' Kelly trailed off as whoever was on the other end of the phone started talking.

I waved my goodbyes and took a moment to compose myself. I was going to speak rationally and sensibly and politely. I wasn't going to lose my head. I wasn't going to -

The elevators dinged and Jonah Dukes stormed out, his face furious. He gave me one look and began marching down the opposite corridor, towards his surgery room. Behind him emerged Aaron, Emily and David, all looking rather pensive.

'Those 5 hours were a brilliant waste of my God damn fucking time!' Jonah bellowed, his fists clenched angrily. 'It's not like I had things to do or patients to see or anything!' No one spoke. Why was Jonah back at the hospital? Hadn't he been arrested and charged?

These questions continued to whiz around my head as Jonah disappeared around the corner. He definitely wasn't in prison or in hand cuffs, meaning he hadn't been charged.

Meaning he wasn't the killer.

So, who was?

I'd been able to keep my mind from the murders for most of the afternoon because the news that at least someone had been arrested had given me hope that he really was the one responsible. But now all my emotions came crashing back down, smothering me.

I swallowed, taking a few deep breaths. I couldn't afford to get emotional or aggressive. I needed to remain calm if I had any hope of Dr. Coren listening to what I had to say on his new appointment times.

I also had to actually attend the meeting.

Pursing my lips together, I brushed past Aaron, David and Emily who were still stood in front of the elevator, talking in hushed whispers. I didn't look at them as I passed. I didn't want to think about the murders. I wanted to focus on what I was going to say to Dr. Coren to prove my point.

It would put extra pressure on hospital staff. There would be an increase of visitors to the hospital, meaning there would need to be more parking and toilet facilities. Budget cuts could be made elsewhere.

Sighing, I stuck my head out of the elevator door, pushing the G to indicate the ground floor.

'Are you guys coming?' I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. They all looked over at me for a moment, their conversation fizzling out, before they fumbled to get into the elevator before the doors shut.

I didn't know what it was, but in the evenings the elevator seemed to move outrageously slowly. And, if anything, I wanted to get out of this elevator as quickly as possible. One reason was so that I could stop procrastinating and just get on this meeting. A second reason was because I really wanted to see the girls and the rest of my family.

And a third reason was because the silence was killing me.

I was aware of every single movement I made, no matter how small. When I blinked, I was sure everyone else was aware of it. I could feel the presence of Aaron, David and Emily behind me and knew that their eyes were probably resting on me.

Then, my phone rang. Because what the situation really needed was for everyone to hear my sickeningly romantic and cheesy ringtone. I prayed it was Kelly ringing me to say I'd missed the meeting. Or my mother informing me that she'd cooked a lasagna and there was a portion waiting with my name on it.

But it wasn't. It was Dr. Coren.

Shit.

'Hello. Sir.' I said tentatively. I never knew whether to address him as sir or not but I needed to try and win him over and one way I was going to do that was with my extreme politeness. I knew that my voice was echoing in the enclosed space of the elevator and there was no way that the agents could ignore my conversation but for the first time, I wasn't bothered about Aaron.

'I was just wondering where you are, Dr. Harmon. The meeting concerning all of the gynecology department started 50 minutes ago.' His words were harmless but his voice was cold. 'Why are you late to this meeting?'

'I'm not late.' I snapped, before I could stop myself. Bring it back, Lizzy. Rationally and politely, remember? 'I had two patients with appointments to see. I thought you would have encouraged this, seeing as you want me to see more patients.'

There was a silence. My opinion was clear. I didn't agree with his new policies on appointment times. And I'd stuck my foot in it. Well, I'd started. I might as well finish.

'On that topic Dr. Coren I do have an opinion on your decision to shorten appointment times. A 10 minute appointment to see a gynecologist is ridiculous. Mr. Jeffords is allowed a 10 minute appointment slot just to give someone a tetanus shot.'

'That's because there can be side effects.' Dr. Coren interjected and I rolled my eyes. Oh no, I have a head ache. Poor me.

'Okay, so Mr. Jeffords is allowed 10 minutes to stick a needle in a vein and then tell a patient to take an Aspirin. I am allowed 5 minutes to complete a breast exam, pap smear, test for countless STDs, note their height and weight and do any other tests the patient wants. And that's as well as asking them if they have any concerns they want to talk about and establish and safe and friendly professional environment and relationship with the patient.' I paused for a short breath.

'I'm not superwoman, Dr. Coren. It is impossible. And I don't care if budgets need to be cut. Gynecology is not the department to make those cuts. There are plenty vending machines lining the corridors that don't get used. And what about the commission to refurbish the boardrooms and offices of all the senior doctors? They don't come to work to sit in comfortable chairs with back warmers. I'm sure they can all do without. I appreciate the fact that money needs to be saved somewhere, Dr. Coren, but you'd be a fool to take that out on the gynecology department.'

I bit my lip, swallowing hard and wondered whether I'd just signed my resignation. I wasn't used to being so blunt to a senior doctor, and a head of department at that. But I did feel almost triumphant in my statements. Dr. Coren remained quiet for a moment and I took in just how loud my voice had been. Oh well.

'Your opinion on the matter is quite clear then, Dr. Harmon.' He said finally and I almost sagged with relief. He didn't sound like he was going to fire me.

'Does that mean I need to attend the meeting?' I had planned on explaining all my thoughts over in Boardroom 3 but seeing as I had done it in the elevator, I'd lost all my motivation to attend the meeting.

'I suppose not. I'll see you tomorrow Dr. Harmon, bright and early.' Was that a hit at the fact I had been almost late this morning? How the hell did he know that? I decided not to dwell to much on it. My tiredness was causing me to overthink things.

'Thank you, Dr. Coren.' I said, with as much dignity as I could muster before tucking my phone back into my bag.

I'd managed to survive my rant with Dr. Coren and could now head home to enjoy my family, homemade lasagna and nightmares plagued by the rotting corpses of my colleagues.

The elevator doors pinged open and I hastily exited, not wanting to spend another second in that metal box when I felt both exhausted, scared and giddy. Giddy because I was in the presence of the dashing Agent Hotchner? Yes.

I turned left and started down the corridor which would take me to the main foyer and then my car. Aaron, Emily and David took the right. I stopped for a moment to shrug my coat over my shoulders and watched them quietly argue over a piece of paper. Seriously? Did I have to do everything myself?

'Where do you want to get to?' I asked, my voice scratchy with tiredness.

'Physiotherapy.' Emily answered, with a thankful smile on her face. Woop woop. More of the sick, giddy feeling.

'Then you want this way.' I said, gesturing to the way I was going before picking up my bag and continuing to walk along the corridor.

'Told you.' I heard Emily mutter as I forced my tired legs to put one foot in front of the other. I wasn't used to running off so little sleep and my body wasn't coping very well.

'Like I said, I don't do well with maps.' David grumbled and I suddenly felt a presence next to me. I looked up. Aaron. So while Emily and David squabbled behind me like children, I had to somehow make myself have an intelligent and understandable conversation with the man who also plagued my dreams.

'Are you okay?' He asked, his gaze shifting to me and I focused on the deepness of his eyes. He really did have pretty eyes.

'Huh?'

'I heard you saying before that you haven't been sleeping.' He repeated, looking a little awkward.

'Oh.' I guess he had been paying attention to my rant this morning. 'I'm fine.' My voice was flat and I sounded bored. I was. Bored of being awake.

'We're close to catching the guy.' Aaron said softly, in a tone that reminded me of how he always spoke to Jack.

'You've been saying that for 3 days.' I said harshly. 'And you've still not caught him and he's still out there killing. You haven't accomplished anything apart from arresting the wrong person.' I stopped walking and looked Aaron straight in the eye. He looked like a kicked puppy, his eyes resting on the floor. I didn't feel anything. Tiredness was now ruling my body.

'We also found another body, Lizzy.' Emily said and I looked over at her and David who had stopped arguing and were listening to mine and Aaron's exchange.

'Pauline Moore. She's a pediatrician.' Yeah, I knew that. I knew Pauline. I had known her. She was dead. Oh God. She was dead. Dead.

'Where'd you find her?'

'In her car. About a hour ago. He's getting even more sloppy.' Emily said. 'So we've just left the crime scene and are back questioning suspects.' She was defending Aaron and the way I'd verbally attacked him. I gathered they were like a family and here Emily was, protecting him.

I sucked in a breath. 'Sorry.' I said, my eyes darting between Aaron and Emily. 'When I'm tired, I get snappy.'

'You're right, though.' Aaron said. 'We were convinced that we had the right guy and we didn't.'

'Why was Jonah so wrong?'

'He fit all the circumstantial evidence that we had.' David began to explain. 'But his personality was all wrong. He isn't clever enough to be able to pull something like this off. Nor is he ruthless enough to even begin to consider murder.' So even though he was a prominent member of the devil club, Jonah wasn't responsible.

But someone was.

I began walking again, Aaron in step beside me and Emily and David behind me. I felt like I was being escorted to my death.

'Is there anyone you can think of that could be capable of something like this?' Aaron asked me. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to answer. I didn't want to even think about the murders. I just wanted to sleep.

'No. Every one of my colleagues is normal.' I said.

'There's a difference between normal and capable of murder.' Aaron replied. Why was he being so hard on me? Why couldn't he just let this go?

'The un-sub is slowly deteriorating. He could kill again in a matter of hours. That means, it could be another one of your colleagues or even you getting hurt.'

'Real smooth, Aaron.' David mumbled and I stopped dead. Thanks Aaron, for forcing me to think about the one thing that was preventing me from sleeping. The one thing that was plaguing my waking days and nights.

'I'm trying not to think about that.' I cried, my voice shaking. I sounded hysterical. I was. 'When I said I was only scared a little bit, I lied. I'm absolutely petrified.' Aaron looked like he was about to say something but I continued, ignoring the soft look in his eyes. 'You can't just tell if one of your colleagues is a murderer. You guys might be able to, but I can't. I don't go looking for the bad in people, for their faults and their secrets. I prefer to look for the good.'

'Lizzy - ' Aaron started but I ignored him, marching off down the corridor, my throat dry and my eyes glassy.

I was so tired. My mind was fuzzy and my head was pounding and my legs felt like they were made of lead. I couldn't think of anything apart from my dead colleagues all lying on the ground, swimming in a pool of crimson, their faces contorted and their bodies mutilated.

I was so tired. Tired of everything. Tired of this. Tired of spending every second of my life looking over my shoulder for a killer that might not even be coming.

My hands were shaking as I weaved my way through bodies, not registering the faces in front of me and not pausing to see if Aaron, Emily and David were following me or had found their way to the physiotherapy rooms. I pushed open the door to the hospital, the bone-chilling wind invading every one of my pores as the first tear rolled down my cheek.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Charlie Puth - Then There's You

\- Thank you guys! Is there any constructive criticism you guys can give me?


	28. Viginti Septem

The sheets of rain lashed down onto the windscreen as I carefully drove through the winding streets that separated my parents house from my own. The clock on the dashboard read 6:49pm and the dull September sky was quickly turning dark. In the seats behind me, Lola and Lexi were both jabbering on about their day and I was trying to keep concentrated on their separate conversations as well as keep my eyes on the road and not break down into a sobbing mess.

Firstly, Pauline was dead. She'd been a brilliant doctor. Her death brought the total up to 6. 6 of my colleagues had been brutally mutilated and murdered by one man. And I knew him. I knew his name and saw him every day. How do you keep that hidden? That by day you were a hard-working doctor and by night you were a serial killer?

Secondly, I felt like shit. My mother, Aimee and Lola had all questioned my tired appearance and asked me if I was okay. Even Joe, who was pretty clueless to anything that was happening in front of him, glasses or no, had jokingly offered me some coffee because I looked like I needed a wake-up call. My body was running on nothing. Even as I drove, I had to keep forcing my eyes open and focusing on the words of Carrie Underwood as she blasted out the radio to keep myself awake.

And thirdly, I'd slaughtered the only people who were actually trying to help. I'd been rotten to Emily and David and, in want of a better phrase, I'd been an absolute bitch to Aaron. I'd completely ignored him and given him no chance to get his words out. Yes, he might have been pushing me for answers but that was his job and I knew that he didn't want anyone else to die. He was just trying to find the answers.

'And then, we found a hedgehog in the yard!' Lola exclaimed, carrying on her description of the school day.

'Really?'

'Yep. It was curled up in a ball and it was really tiny. Mrs. Hodkin said it was poorly so she called up a local animal shelter and they came to collect it.'

'Oh, that's good, sweetie.' I said, turning a corner. I hated driving through rush hour traffic at the best of times and I especially hated it in torrential rain. I didn't help that the car behind me was practically driving on top of me, leaving me very little room to actually turn. 'They'll be able to make it better.'

'Some people didn't care and they just ignored it. Jayden said he would step on it! Just because it wasn't cute, like a puppy, they didn't care.'

'Well, you did the right thing, Loles.' I said, shooting her a smile through the mirror. 'And what about you, Lex?' I'd last heard her talking about the cake she'd eaten at lunch.

'I drew a picture of our house!' Lexi exclaimed proudly, holding up a piece of paper. Through the mirror, I could make out several slightly wobbly lines and lots of grass covering the floor. Next to the house was three stick figures whom I assumed were Lola, Lexi and myself.

'That's really good, doodle bug. I'll pin it up on the fridge when we get home, okay?' Lexi cheered enthusiastically as I paused at a set of lights. The rain seemed to be coming down even harder now and the sound of the raindrops reverberating on the roof was carving a hole into my head.

The lights flashed green and I surged forward, turning a sharp corner. 'That car has been behind us since we left grandmas.' Lola mumbled as I slowed my speed, cautious that I could barely see the oncoming traffic through the rain.

'Which car?'

'The one behind us.' The one with the idiotic driver? Great. I turned another corner, thanking that with every corner I turned I was one step closer to my bed.

'It's still behind us!' Lexi giggled and I craned my head to see a hulking shadow in the rear window. I couldn't make out the color of the car - it was either dark blue, gray or black - nor could I see the driver, only a figure sat behind the wheel.

'They probably just live around here.' I said, rolling my eyes but secretly I was beginning to panic.

A car was following us? In my rational mind, I knew that there was absolutely nothing bizarre about a car driving behind me for a 10 minute stretch. But, with my mind clouded by confusion and tiredness, I peered into the wing mirror and tried to get a better look at the car. It was a large jeep, not unlike the car I drove, with very dark windows. In fact, the only one I could see through was the wind screen. Were they blacked out?

So, lots of people had blacked out windows, right? Not really. In fact, the only cars that I'd seen recently with blacked out windows had been the FBI's SUVs and a few cars at the hospital...

Shit.

Did I recognize the car from the hospital's parking lot? I couldn't tell. It was too dark and the rain was too heavy to make out any significant features. But what if I did?

What if the car that had been following me since my parents house had also been following me since I'd left work? My heart jolted and, in my panic, I missed the turning for my street.

'Why aren't we going that way?' Lola enquired.

'I think this way will be quicker, considering how busy the roads are.' I explained with a smile but inside, I was shaking.

I would just drive around for a bit and eventually, the car would divert from my path and continue to wherever it was going. And, because it always worked in cop shows, I would try and lose the car in the rush hour traffic. Yes. That's what I'd do.

I began taking every corner that I came across, just telling myself I was merely taking the scenic route. But after every second that passed, I was checking in my mirror to see if the car was still behind us.

It was.

I was being ridiculous. I knew that. There were probably thousands of cars with blacked out windows in Virginia. Why was I getting so worked up about one car?

Because it might belong to a serial killer.

The BAU's words about the un-sub following his victims continued to ring in my ears as I sped through the rain. But he followed them for at least a day before he killed his victims, didn't he? That was before he started deteriorating. Now he was killing as soon as he could get close enough to do so.

Biting my lip, I cranked the radio a little louder. The car was still behind me. I couldn't keep driving forever. The time was already bordering on 7pm.

Reminding myself for the billionth time that I was being absolutely ridiculous, I finally turned down my street. My hands were clenched on the wheel as I pulled up in front of my house.

The car zoomed past me.

My eyes searched for the registration plate because this was another thing that was always done in cop shows when someone was being followed. But in the thunderous rain, I just couldn't work out the blurry figures.

'Come on, you two - ' I said, pulling my hood up over my head and grabbing my bag as well as the girl's lunchboxes. 'Grandad said you have homework.' 

Moaning in unison about how unfair Grandad was, they jumped out the car and I hurriedly locked it. Charging for the front door the girls circled my legs, squealing and laughing because of the rain. I unlocked the front door and urged the girls inside, taking one more look into the dark street before I pushed the door shut, locking it behind me. I made a mental note to double check all of the windows were locked too.

I couldn't see the car anymore but I didn't know whether this was because the car really had driven off or just because the street was too dark to see.

I stepped out of my heels and took the sopping shoes and coats through to the utility room as the girls begrudgingly sat down at the table and pulled out their homework.

'I don't want to do this!' Lexi moaned at the top of her voice, throwing her pencil case across the table. I sat down next to her, wrapping my arm around her. Lola had already begun writing out her spellings and I knew that no matter how much she complained, she really did like school.

'Come on, Lex - ' I encouraged, squeezing her shoulder. 'Let's do this and then we can go and have a big, bubbly bath.' Lexi sat slumped against me, her arms crossed in defiance. 'We can use the special bubble bath?' I prodded her in the ribs where I knew she was ticklish and a smile jumped onto her face.

'The one that makes the water go purple and sparkly?' I nodded, smirking as her eyes lit up. I passed her a pencil and she grumpily took it from me, looking over the first word.

We were fine.

* * *  
We weren't fine.

In the hour and a half that passed, I managed to get the girls in - and then consequently out of - the bath and tucked up into bed. I read Lexi a story about a parrot and I continued the fairy story with Lola.

By 8:45, I was settled on the kitchen table planning our meals for the rest of the week - taking special thought on Thursday's dinner because I wanted Jack to enjoy it - with a steaming cup of hot chocolate by my side and my favourite show tunes blasting into my ears through my headphones.

I hadn't stopped thinking about the car for one single moment.

I checked every single door and window twice to make sure they were locked. They were. I'd opened the curtains three times to see if there was a suspicious car parked at the front. There wasn't. Everything was as it should have been.

Then why would my mind not stop panicking?

I took a long sip of my drink and let out a deep breath while Wicked blasted in my ears and I scribbled down my idea for Thursday's dinner: a cottage pie using sweet potatoes for the mash, because I really needed to use them up.

I bit the end of my pen, my gaze floating to the locked door. Even Wicked, one of my favourite musicals, and food couldn't keep my mind occupied.

I flicked onto another one of my favourite musicals, Chicago, and started considering what I could take for my lunch on Friday. I had some bagels that would need to be eaten. What about a ham and cheese bagel?

Outside, a car blared its horn and I dropped the pen in surprise. My heart was thumping and my stomach felt tight, like I was going to be sick any minute.

What if I hadn't been imagining it? What if I really was the un-sub's final victim? I didn't know what deadly sin that made me - that detail hadn't been released to the public - but I knew I was either wrath, greed or envy. I started analyzing my personality. Could an outsider consider me to be greedy? Or envious? Or wrathful?

Instinctively, I got to my feet and took a step towards the door. No. I'd checked it twice already. It was locked. No one was getting in. But, what if -

My eyes fell to my phone that was laying on the table, next to my mug. I couldn't go through the night feeling like this. I couldn't cope any longer.

And I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something happened to the girls that I could have prevented.

Sitting back down, I reached for my phone and dialed the first emergency contact.

Aaron.

Part of my brain knew that I'd simply clicked Aaron because his name was at the top of the alphabetized list. But another part of my brain was nudging me, as if to tell me that that wasn't the only reason. I also trusted him more than I could say, despite having only known him 2 weeks. He always seemed so in control and that was comforting.

He also wasn't bad looking...

I listened to the tone ringing out, my hands jittering as I waited for Aaron's voice. If he didn't pick up, then I'd ring JJ or Emily. And then I'd ring Penelope or David. And then I'd ring Spencer or Derek. And if no one picked up, I'd then ring the police.

'Hello? This is Aaron Hotchner.' I nearly dropped my phone in surprise. Yes Lizzy. That is his name.

'Hi Aaron.' I stuttered, my free hand clenching into a fist. 'It's Lizzy.' There was a moment of silence.

'Oh, Lizzy. Ahem - what can I do for you?' He cleared his throat and I almost considered hanging up. It was just my tired brain imagining things.

But what if it wasn't?

'Look, I don't want to bother you. And it's probably nothing but - ' I trailed off, my throat drying up. I didn't want to actually admit the truth.

'No, go on. What is it?' Aaron asked, his voice soft and surprisingly comforting.

'There was a car behind me from the hospital to my parents house. And then it was still behind me when I was driving home. I think I recognize it from the hospital parking lot. And I know I'm probably being delusional but - but I remember what you guys said about the un-sub following his victims and I just...' I swallowed the lump in my throat. 'I'm a bit worried.'

'I don't think you're being delusional. I think you're being very reasonable.' He said, his voice still calm. The fact that he was so calm calmed me down a little. 'Are all the doors and windows locked?'

'Yes,' I breathed, my eyes instinctively looking towards the front door. 'I've checked them all twice.'

'Okay. And are the girls in bed?'

'Yes.' His gentle voice and manner were soothing my racing heart and I felt so glad that I'd just decided to give him a call.

'Do you have anything that you can defend yourself with?'

'What, I - ' This question took me by surprise but I understood why he asked it. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner? And I thought I acted sensibly under pressure. I hopped off my chair and grabbed the biggest knife in my cutlery drawer. 'Yes. I've got a knife.' I looked down at the blade glinting under the bright lights.

'Good. We're already on our way, Lizzy. We'll be there in 5 minutes, I promise. Okay?'

'Okay.' I nodded, remembering that he couldn't actually see me.

'Don't panic. Stay calm. And I'll see you in a minute. I promise.' I wanted him to keep talking so that I didn't feel so alone but I knew that the longer I stayed on the phone, the further away he was.

'Okay. Thank you.' I said, before pressing end call.

I placed my phone back down on the table and took a few gulps of my now lukewarm hot chocolate. The knife felt heavy and un-natural in my hand but I knew it was better than nothing.

The team were coming. They'd be here any second. 5 minutes was no time at all.

Then why did it feel like a lifetime?

Slipping off the stool, but keeping the knife in my hand, I quickly padded up the stairs. I knew that the girls hadn't gone anywhere but I just needed to see them. Just to tell the anxious voice in my head that the two most important people in my life were still here.

And of course they were. Peering into Lola's room, I saw her curled up under her blankets, her hair fanned out on the pillow. Similarly, Lexi was snuggled up under her duvet, almost her entire face obscured by her blanket.

If anyone had seen me creeping around my daughters' rooms holding a knife, they would have been concerned. But as I quietly descended the stairs, I began to feel calmer. The BAU were on their way. Lola and Lexi were safely tucked up in bed. I had some way to protect myself. Everything was okay.

That was before I had the sound of glass shattering and my blood ran cold. My ears strained in the silence for any indication from where the sound had come from.

The sound which meant a window had been smashed.

The sound that meant someone had just broken into my home with the intention to kill me.

And as I stood quivering in the hall way, the knife clutched in my hand, I realised one thing.

I wasn't going to let them succeed.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Wicked - Popular  
Chicago - Overture/All That Jazz

\- Ooh! What's going to happen? I hope you enjoyed this!


	29. Viginti Octo

I pressed my body into the wall, letting the shadows engulf me as I forced a breath of air through my lungs. My heart was pounding in my ears and I was sure that my labored breathing would give away my location. I needed to somehow keep him away from the girls and then pray that the BAU didn't encounter any traffic.

In the darkness, I could hear the soft shuffling of footsteps and a shadow shifted in front of me. I clamped a hand over my mouth, attempting to mask my breathing. A figure emerged from the utility room. He was tall and was holding a knife. That was all I could tell about his appearance.

If I could help it, I didn't want to make contact with him. I didn't want to anger or provoke him. I wasn't going to attack him. I would only defend myself.

And, if it came to it, hit him over the head.

I bit my lip and tried to mold myself into the wall. I didn't move. I didn't breathe. My fists were clenched so tightly I thought my knuckles were going to burst through my skin and I was going to break the knife handle.

Seconds passed. They felt like hours. The man crept into the dining room and then the study. The moonlight glinted off the knife in his hand. Was he looking for me?

Was this man - someone who I would consider a friend - looking for me to carve me up like a turkey?

The man shuffled towards the main room, his foot pressing down on a particularly squeaky floorboard in the process. The noise made me wince but it didn't affect my intruder. He passed into the main room without giving me so much as a glance.

From the light spilling out into the hall, I could see that the man was wearing black sneakers. A valuable piece of information. Anyway...

So far, so good.

Grimacing slightly, I began to tiptoe across the hallway, allowing the shadows to cloak me and dancing around the floorboards that I knew would make a noise. I needed to keep an eye on him. Not only would I then be confident he wasn't hurting the girls but it would also keep me awake to the reality of the situation.

There was a man - a serial killer - in my living room with a knife and he wanted to kill me.

Having made it to the other side of the hall without incident, I flexed the hand that wasn't holding the knife. I pressed my face to the wall and edged closer, my eyes taking in the living room, the only room to be fully lit. The man was facing away from me. He was dressed in a black coat and black jeans. He was Caucasian and his hair was brown, just like Kelly had said.

I was fine. Everything was going to be okay. The FBI were going to be here in a matter of minutes.

Suddenly, the man spun around and I shot back. My heart was racing and my breath was running away from me. Had he seen me? Was my cover blown?

'Lizzy. I know you're there.'

I was almost sick. Not because the man was actually speaking to me and I might be dead in a matter of seconds but because I knew that voice.

It was a voice that I myself had imitated just hours earlier. A distinctively masculine voice with a strong Boston twang.

The voice of Dr. Tomas Rudd.

Holy shit.

'You can come out, Lizzy. There's no use hiding.'

It would be okay. The FBI must be nearly here. But I then realised that even though Aaron had said 5 minutes, if they were coming from the FBI building it would take around 20 minutes. And if they were coming from the hospital, it would take even longer...

Hiding the knife behind my back, I edged forwards into the light. Tomas was staring straight at me. His green eyes looked so familiar yet as I took in his whole appearance, and the dangerously sharp knife in his hand, I realised I didn't know him at all.

What was I doing? Why did I think I could stall a man capable of killing six women?

Because I had to. If I didn't, he'd kill me. He might kill Lola and Lexi. And I wasn't about to let that happen.

'Why are you doing this?' I asked softly, stepping fully into the living room. I needed to get him talking. That would give the FBI some extra time. And even though my hands were shaking, I knew I had to do this. 'And why do you hate me so much?'

Tomas sneered, the stark opposite of his usual cheery demeanour. 'You're the one who harbours hate, Lizzy.' I take it he'd given me the title of Wrath then.

'You're deluded.' I replied sharply, keeping the knife hidden behind my back. I didn't want to move any closer to him. If I backed him into a corner, then things might get even more dangerous.

'You're the one living in your own world.' I ignored him. I wasn't going to let him rile me up.

'Why are you doing this, Tomas? Why are you hurting people like this?' Tomas didn't answer for a moment but he never took his eyes from mine. He took a few steps forward and I edged backwards into the kitchen, my fingers trailing across the surface of the island that sat in the middle of the kitchen floor.

'The world needs to be purged of their sins.' He explained, a unsettling glint in his eye. This wasn't the Tomas I knew. 'They were the devil.'

'No, they were innocent people.' I said firmly, retreating further backwards as Tomas continued to approach me.

'That's what you think.' He hissed. 'I could see the devil in them. Like I see it in you.' He waited half a second before suddenly lunging forwards, sprinting after me.

My heart was in my mouth. I ran around to the other side of the island, my eyes catching on the fork, cup and book that still lay on the table. Tomas had an almost feral look in his eyes as he wavered on the other side of the island, the knife waving tauntingly in his hand.

He shot forwards, his hands grabbing my sides and I felt a sharp stinging on my right arm. I wriggled frantically in his grip, noticing the trickle of blood oozing from the long cut on my arm. I didn't have time to give it any thought. If I did, Tomas would stab me in the gut.

I kicked hard behind me, sending Tomas staggering backwards and swung round to punch him in the nose. He let out a groan, a trickle of blood leaching down his nose. I was panting, not because I was tired but because I was riding high on adrenaline.

He took a moment to wipe his nose on the back of his coat before he sprung forwards again, sweeping his knife against me and cutting into my hands. He grabbed hold of me as I writhed desperately in his grip, thrashing wildly as he pried the knife from my grip and threw it across the room.

No. I wasn't having this. This was not the way tonight was going to go down.

My hands were stinging and my right arm was burning as the blood mixed with the sweat on my palms. I angrily stomped on the floor, crushing Tomas's feet as I fought to get away. That was the only thing I cared about. I kicked his knee hard, sending him buckling to the floor.

I sprung forwards, grabbing the object that was closest to me - a stray fork lying on the island. Tomas was rolling on the floor, stumbling to pick up the knife and regain his balance.

I straddled his waist, moving the knife out of his reach and clamping the fork down on his upper arm, the prongs of the fork indenting into his skin. His face was an expression of pure fury and his eyes were blazing.

'Just so we're clear - though I'm sure you're already aware - this fork is pressed into your brachial artery. If you move, I'll let you slowly bleed out all of my floor.' I panted, my muscles tensing as I struggled to keep all of my tired muscles tense.

Tomas didn't say anything. I was happy to see that his nose was still bleeding and the blood was running into his mouth.

'So, why do you hate me?' I repeated, shifting my position so that I was sitting on Tomas's abdomen rather than his crotch. I told myself that my only reason for this was because it would be more uncomfortable for Tomas but it also made me feel more comfortable too.

Tomas met my gaze and took a harsh breath through his nose. 'You store anger and hatred like we're planning for a siege.' Tomas spat. Even when he'd broken into my home with plans to kill me, he couldn't completely eradicate his jovial personality. 

'What does that mean?' I asked, adjusting my grip on the fork that was digging into his arm.

'You've hated me ever since I broke up with Kelly.' He explained and I stared down at him incredulously. Seriously?

It was common knowledge among the hospital that Tomas had dated Kelly for almost 11 months - and it had abruptly ended with Tomas dumping Kelly on New Year's Eve - but that had happened almost 2 years ago and while I had hated his guts for a long while, I'd seen that Kelly hadn't been hurt in the long run so my grudge against him had slowly fizzled out.

'And?' How did my resentment towards him turn him into a murdering lunatic?

'You like to think that you don't hold grudges and anger towards people but you do. And when I politely asked you out you couldn't put your anger aside. And you ruined my entire fucking life.' He snapped, shifting under me and I jabbed the fork into his arm, causing him to wince.

'I said don't move.' I exclaimed. My mind was still whirring. It was true that, about 9 months ago, Tomas had asked me out. As well as admitting that he had always liked me and wanted us to be together. It had been quite a serious confession to make just for a first date. But I had declined. 

'So my rejection caused you to turn into a psychopath?' Tomas didn't respond, just clenched his fists and stared me down with his green orbs.

Despite the fact that, at the moment, I had the upper hand it was clear that physically Tomas beat me in every sense. I might have steadily built up my muscles with decades of dancing but they would be no match for the sheer strength that radiated through Tomas's taught arms as I anchored the fork into his arm.

I prayed that the FBI would get here soon. I didn't know how long I'd be able to hold him off, now that I'd actually got over the shock of him being in my house in the first place. But that didn't mean I couldn't try and understand his reasons for killing.

'Did I bruise your ego? Was that it?' I mused. 'I rejected you for the first time in your life because you have such a charming personality and you didn't like that feeling. Because under your charisma you're actually impotent and you're deeply insecure about it.'

I recalled everything that I had heard the BAU discuss about the un-sub and slowly it all began to come together to form Tomas. He was confident and reassured in his job and his personality. He had an extra year's experience on me at working at St. Addisons. And I had no doubt that he'd probably dated, or at least interacted with, every single female employee there.

'Well, I hate to break it to you but murdering six women is not the romantic gesture I would have liked to have received from a potential boyfriend.' I said casually, hiding my nerves with a smile. 'If you're interested in me, you need to respect me and earn me.'

'I didn't do anything to you!' He bellowed, catching me off guard and I adjusted the fork.

'No. But you obviously couldn't respect my decision when I declined your date.' I said. 'I had just come out of a 10 year relationship with my children's biological father and I didn't really feel like pursuing another relationship straight away. I feel like that is quite straight forward.'

'But because of you, I lost everything!'

'What do you mean, Tomas?' I had no idea what he was talking about.

'Because of you turning me down, I lost my then girlfriend.'

'Who was that?' I enquired. Was it one of the six women he'd killed?

'Pauline.' He admitted and for the first time I saw a slight softness in his eyes. 'And then my father died. And my sister was diagnosed with cancer and my dog went missing. And then, I missed out getting that promotion.' I felt a stab of sympathy for him but that was quickly replaced with anger.

'That's no excuse for killing six women.' I said firmly.

'You ruined my life.' He mumbled, his eyes darkening and his hands twitched. I pressed the fork harder. I didn't want to actually stab him in the arm. That had just been a threat to keep him still.

'And you're a murderer so everything's just great.'

'You're a stubborn whore.' He muttered, his voice dangerously low. I'd been called worse so I let his words slide off me. 'You hide your anger and tell yourself it isn't there, but it is. I can see it.'

I adjusted my position over Tomas as my feet tingling with pins and needles, cautious to keep the fork digging into his arm. I really wanted to stand up and my cramped muscles begged me to offer them some kind of release.

Sensing my un-ease Tomas suddenly sat up, the momentum flinging the fork from my hand and sending me onto the floor. I stumbled to my knees, my hands searching for any kind of weapon. The knife I'd took off Tomas wasn't where I had left it. Because it was now at my throat.

Tomas had one hand forcefully pulling my hair back and another wrapped around my body, holding his knife below my chin. Every time I swallowed I could feel the cut of cool metal against my skin. His body was so close I could smell the faint aroma of hospital disinfectant and the metallic tang of blood.

I realised I was trembling.

'T-this isn't how you k-kill.' I whispered, my voice hoarse. I was searching for anything I could use to stall him. I was hardly in a position to physically fight back. 'You need to slit my wrists and stab my stomach 7 times and obliterate my face.' Every single muscle in my body was frozen with fear. I was well aware of the blood trickling from my palms and my lower arm, but those injuries seemed to pale in comparison to what I was currently facing.

'Maybe I'll change my MO.' He murmured gruffly, pressing the knife closer so the blade began to sink into my skin. 'Just for you. Aren't you lucky?'

His grip on the knife suddenly loosened. Through my heart pounding in my ears, I could hear the blaring of sirens gradually getting closer. Blue and red flashing lights shone through the curtains. It felt like Christmas and my birthday had all come at once.

'Who did you call?' He breathed, his lips next to my ear. I could hear the anxiety in his voice. The knife wavered slightly in his hand.

Sensing my moment I pushed away from him, diving for the fork only to have Tomas kick it away. He kicked me bluntly in the ribs. Pain ricocheted down my side but I kept in my moan, reaching for my kitchen knife that lay on the floor.

Tomas, towering over me, grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled, tilting my head painfully towards the ceiling. I aimed a kick to his knee, remembering this to be his weak spot. He clattered to the floor, aiming a lazy punch to my face which clipped me on the nose. A slow splattering of blood ran down my face.

'I'll kill you this time.' He muttered, grabbing my thigh and yanking me towards him. 'And I should have killed Kelly too. Greedy bitch.'

Oh no. You don't get to attack Kelly under my roof and get away with it.

I broke free from his grip and aimed a kick to his face, further distorting his nose and sending his head shooting backwards. I staggered to my feet and stumbled for the knife that lay on to the floor. I picked it up in my shaking hand as I heard muffled voices coming from outside.

It was okay. It was going to be okay.

A sweaty hand clamped over my mouth, another arm wrapping its way around my waist. I squirmed and writhed in his grip, kicking hard against his legs. He lifted me so that my feet were barely skimming the floor as I struggled against his arm. I could taste the sweat on his palm.

'Lizzy? LIZZY?' The familiar voices of Aaron and Emily echoed through the door followed by three hard knocks. Tomas clamped his hand harder down over my mouth, attempting to muffle my shrieks as he attempted to subdue me.

I bit down hard on his palm, causing his hand to jerk away and allowing me a brief respite. 'KICK IT OPEN!' I yelled before Tomas punched me hard in the cheek, catapulting me onto the floor. My head was pounding. The open wounds on my hands and arms stung. My nose throbbed. My ribs ached.

I had almost won.

Tomas grabbed my shoulder and secured me in a headlock, his knife digging painfully into my stomach as my door barreled open and the team spilled through, Aaron leading the group. His eyes locked onto me immediately and I saw a flicker of panic as he took in my disheveled appearance and the knife digging into my abdomen.

Tomas clumsily dragged me to my feet, every muscle in my body complaining as he kept the knife pressing into my stomach. The whole team were here and each gun was honing in on Tomas and myself. However, Tomas only had about 3 inches on me which left very little room for error, if they decided to go for the kill shot.

'Drop your weapon.' Aaron commanded, his voice unwavering. He and Derek nudged forwards, followed by David and Emily and then Spencer and JJ.

'No chance.' He spat, increasing the tension on his arm and crushing my throat. I concentrated on forcing air through my nose as I felt the air being pushed from my throat.

'I won't ask again.' Aaron replied, his voice even. My head was beginning to feel stuffy and murky, like I had a migraine. But a really, really bad one. 'Drop. Your. Weapon.'

Tomas took another step backwards, dragging me with him. My feet slid clumsily on the floor. My breathing was labored. I could see very little chance of taking Tomas down without further injuring myself. Which meant I was going to have to bite the bullet and help myself.

Despite my throat growing tighter with every second that passed, I slowly tensed all the muscles in my right leg. I was aiming for his knee. I didn't know whether he'd injured it or recently had surgery but it seemed to be his Achilles heel.

Taking another stuttering breath as Aaron clicked the safety off his gun, I braced my leg before aiming a powerful kick to his knee. We both went tumbling onto the floor, and before I could react Tomas deftly kicked me in the side and aimed a punch to the back of my head.

Dots danced before my eyes as I struggled to breathe in and out. I could hear shouts around me but I couldn't register any voices. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard something that sounded like a volcano exploding.

That was all I registered before I surrendered to the pulsing in my head and the pain reverberating around my body and blacked out.

\- DUN DUN DUN! Thanks for reading guys!


	30. Viginti Novem

Pain. That was the first thing that hit me. A pounding, thundering pain in my head that felt like someone was beating me senseless with a sledgehammer. I was surrounded by noise - a cacophony of shouts and bangs - but I just wanted the world to stop and fall silent so that I could fade away back into the abyss of sleep.

My bed wasn't as comfy as I remembered.

As I stirred, and realised the pain that resonated every time I moved, a pair of warm hands lightly touched my shoulders and heat radiated through my body, kick-starting my nerves into working again.

'Lizzy? Lizzy, can you hear me?' I latched onto the deep, warming voice that was echoing above me. 'Lizzy?' A hand was pressed to my forehead and I let out a moan of protest, the hand quickly retracting. 'Lizzy? How do you feel?'

'A-Aaron?' I stuttered, forcing open one eye. He was kneeling by my side, his body towering over me, and his dark hair was disheveled in a way that made him look about 10 years younger. I really wanted to run my fingers through it. His dark eyes met mine, a dazzling, knee-melting smile grazing his face and I was suddenly glad that I was lying on the floor because I was sure I would have collapsed.

Oh. That's why my bed wasn't particularly comfy. I was lying on the floor, my arms cushioning my head and my legs sprawled out behind me.

I opened the other eye, the bright lights blinding me and I had to blink several times before Aaron's face came back into focus. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his surprisingly muscular forearms that supported my back as I pushed myself into a sitting position.

'Take it slowly,' he chided softly, his hands warming the small of my back and sending an unfamiliar surge of electricity into my skin. The bubble of noise buzzed loudly around me but I tuned out any noise that wasn't his mesmerizing voice. 'You might have a head injury.'

His hands moved around from my back to my sides, gently rubbing along my ribs and down to the curves of my hips. 'Do you feel any pain here?' He asked, his eyes worriedly looking for any sign of discomfort on my face.

There was a slight dull pain surfacing under his touch but I didn't care. As long as I could feel the warmth radiating from his palms on my body, anything else was insignificant.

Maybe I really did have a head injury.

'A-A little,' I murmured as he waited patiently. I felt vulnerable under his gaze for the first time ever as his eyes slid from my own, to his hands that were still resting on my hips. He blushed a little and quickly retracted his hands, wiping his palms on his trousers. I felt a wave of sadness at the loss of heat.

'You'll probably have some severe bruising.' He stammered, gulping hard and leaning back against his heels. My eyes slid to the gun holstered in his belt and suddenly everything came gushing back.

Dr. Tomas Rudd was the un-sub. He had broken into my house and attacked me. He had punched me in the head, knocking me out.

He had killed people.

'How long was I out?' I asked, my voice beginning to sound stronger as I gazed around the room, cringing under the lights that seemed to get brighter as I stared at them.

My front door had been blown right off its hinges and a collection of FBI SUV's and police cars were gathered outside, the blaring from the sirens and the pulsing lights adding to my pounding headache. I could hear ferocious shouts echoing from another room but I couldn't register who was shouting because I was too distracted by the man in front of me.

Aaron looked down at his watch. It was plain, yet well-made. 'About 15 seconds.'

'Oh. That's not very dramatic.' I said flatly, running a finger across the throbbing red marks that crisscrossed along my palm. The pain seemed to have dulled down but that could have just been my body getting used to the fact that blood was slowly trickling out of me.

'And you're all about being dramatic, aren't you?' He said, an amused sparkle in his eyes as another dazzling smile slipped onto his face. I managed a shy smile, shrinking under his gaze. His face suddenly turned serious as he latched onto the incision on my arm, his brows furrowing in concern. Crimson blood stained the skin of my arm, contrasting dramatically with my pale skin.

'You need to see a medic.' Aaron insisted and my heart fluttered at the look of concern on his face. But the only thing I need was an Aspirin for my headache and a lie down.

'I'm fine.' I said gently and Aaron's eyes narrowed. 'It's only blood.'

'You're losing more all the time. And we don't know how clean the knife was. You might get tetatnus. And I know you don't like the guy - ' His lips quirked into a small smirk and I stared at him, confused. Then I remembered he had heard me ranting on about the appointment times given to Ted Jeffords for his tetanus shots. I smirked a little, the sensation sending a ripple of pain through my head.

Suddenly, loud heaving footsteps pounded across the wooden floor and I turned my head, knowing that the movement would undoubtedly pain my body, to see Tomas being dragged towards the door by Derek and David, with Emily and JJ aiming guns at his back. JJ's nose was bleeding and Emily was gingerly walking on her left foot.

I guess Tomas didn't like being arrested.

After a few moments of struggling against his captors and snarling at them, he turned his gaze forwards, his eyes locking onto me. I didn't move, my eyes not leaving his for a second - not even when I felt Aaron stand behind me.

This person wasn't somebody I knew. This side to Tomas was not something I, or anyone else at the hospital I guessed, had ever witnessed before. And the fact that he could hide such a large part of himself made me nervous.

He lunged towards me, straining against David and Derek's grip and I shot backwards, watching Derek yank Tomas back and Aaron charge forwards to stand between me and Tomas. He spat in my direction, his eyes blazing.

'BURN IN HELL!' Tomas screamed, pulling against David and Derek but Emily pressed her gun to the back of his head and it seemed that despite killing 6 women he still valued one life and allowed himself to be escorted out by Derek, David and JJ.

I sighed, not realizing I'd been holding in a breath. Tomas was no longer a threat to anyone. No one else would have to be unnecessarily killed by his hand.

'Are you alright?' Emily asked standing in the door frame, tucking her gun back into her belt. A lock of hair had escaped from her ponytail and she carelessly pushed it aside as she approached me, reaching her hands out to help me stand.

I clasped her hands and pulled myself to my feet, inwardly groaning at the pain radiating through my ribs. I didn't think I had broken anything but, like Aaron had said, I would probably end up with some impressive bruises tomorrow.

'Yeah, I'm okay.' I insisted, giving her a small smile.

'You sure? You took quite a hit to the head.' Aaron was glaring at me as though he could see the pain through my smiling façade. Well, I was in a room full of profilers.

'I'll be fine.' She still looked unconvinced but gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before following her team outside.

I stepped from foot to foot, testing my weight. My legs and feet didn't seem to hurt - it was just my arm, head, nose and sides that were throbbing.

Then, Spencer stumbled out into the main room with his hair considerably disheveled and nursing his right shoulder. He cringed slightly as he touched it.

'You okay?' Aaron asked and I turned to see him still standing by my side. I had forgotten he was there. How could I have forgotten he was there? The man who had been the object of my albeit very subtle affections for the last week? The man whom I harbored feelings that may have started out as a mindless crush but I felt sure had developed into something else over the last week.

'Yeah.' Spencer nodded, wincing a little as he rotated his arm. 'He hits like a eighth grader.'

'Well that makes me feel great.' I said with a smile, pressing my arm to my trouser leg in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. 'He had me out like a light.'

'Who was he? I didn't really get a look at his face.' Because you were too busy fighting with him?

'Tomas Rudd.' I said, the words sounding coarse in my mouth. This was me admitting what I'd been denying for so long. That one of my colleagues was actually capable of murder. 'He's a heart surgeon. And good friends with Dr. Dukes.'

'That actually makes a lot of sense.' I stared at him incredulously. 'The heart has several connotations to the devil and the soul and the evil within a person.'

'Dukes must have been who introduced him to the cult.' Aaron said thoughtfully and I tried not to react to the sound of his smooth voice.

'You almost had the right person.' I said, looking over at Aaron and I hoped that he could read from my eyes that I was apologising for everything that I had said earlier. Now that conversation seemed like a hundred years ago.

'I'm making you see a medic, you know - ' Aaron said, his voice firm, and it instantly reminded me of the way that he sometimes spoke to Jack - firmly but with a sense of warmth too.

'Not yet.' I replied, speaking with the same firm tone that I sometimes used on the girls.

'Yes, now.' He said, exasperatedly. 'Lizzy, you're bleeding, might have a few broken ribs and may also have a head injury. You are seeing a medic!' I wanted to smile at the look of frustration on his face. His fury brought out the gold in his eyes.

'No, I'm going to check on my children.' I said and I instantly saw Aaron's face soften. He, of course, understood the parental nature that was heavily instilled in me.

Trying not to react to the pain that shot through my sides as I walked, I slowly made my way up the stairs, noticing as I passed that a potted plant in the hall had been smashed to smithereens with soil spilling out onto the floor. My nose was still bleeding heavily and as I softly pushed open the door to Lola's room, I rubbed my nose on the back of my hand coating it in blood.

Inside was an picture that broke my heart.

Lexi was curled up against Lola and I could hear the audible sobs erupting from her as I entered. Lola was plaiting her hair between her fingers, silent tears running down her face as she pressed her favourite teddy to her chest. They both looked up at the movement from the door, their sobs suddenly frozen and their eyes wide.

I ran over to them, completely ignoring the pain in my body and pulling them into my arms. I held them close to me, breathing in the scent that was just them. It broke my heart to see them in any kind of pain and as I hushed their cries and gently wiped the tears from their eyes, a deep anger towards Tomas rose within me for causing them to feel this way.

'It's okay, shush, everything's okay.' I comforted, kissing their heads. Lexi was still sniffling beyond comprehension but Lola was looking at me with wide, curious eyes.

'We heard the shouting. And then there was a gun. And then there was more shouting and - ' Lola trailed off as Lexi started quietly wailing next to me. Gun? I'd have to ask about that later.

'There's absolutely nothing to be scared of anymore, okay?' I said reassuringly, stroking Lexi's head. I truly believed that now.

'Was it the bad man? The one who's killing people?' Lola asked. I nodded - and then told myself never to nod again because I felt like my brain was rattling in my skull.

'But I rang the FBI and the police and they arrested him. So everything's fine.'

'What's the FBI?' Lexi murmured, stirring from my arms. In her terror mixed with her tiredness, she must have forgotten.

'They're like the police. Jack's dad and Auntie Penelope work for them. Don't they?' Lola stuttered and I smiled.

'Come on. Let's go downstairs and we'll get some hot chocolate and ice cream and put a film on. How does that sound?' The girls both nodded and slipped out of bed, clutching their stuffed animals and taking hold of my hands. My palms stung slightly at their touch but I didn't react.

As I left their room, Lexi suddenly clung onto my leg. Understandably, she was more shaken up that Lola. And it was killing me.

'Come here,' I murmured, picking Lexi up in my arms and positioning her on my hip with her arms wrapped around my neck. My whole body wailed in protest but I still managed to descend the stairs without collapsing.

Downstairs, it was a bevy of activity. There were unformed police officers everywhere and they seemed to be noting every single detail of my home: the sizes of the rooms, the state of the décor, the number of windows. The level of noise was still almost overwhelming loud for my merciless headache but I grit my teeth and tried to ignore it. I'd take an Aspirin at the first available moment.

In the front room, the BAU were all dotted around either answering phone calls or directing police officers or nursing their wounds. JJ had a tissue held to her nose while Emily was rubbing her ankle and Derek was in the process of giving Spencer what looked like a shoulder massage.

As we entered the room, my hip burning, every eye in the room came to rest on us. I noticed a sympathetic smile form on JJ's face. The girls shrunk under the gazes of so many people and while I stroked their hair reassuringly, my eyes were drawn to the front door - or rather the gap where the front door should have been.

'Can you do anything about that?' I asked Aaron, gesturing towards the door. He turned away from two police officers and his eyes instantly grew concerned. 'The door?'

'Oh. Yes. Of course, we'll sort that out right away. Ahem - Morgan?' He looked over my shoulder to Derek who raised his eyebrows at the mention of his name. 'Can we get something done about the door please?'

'Sure. I'll sort that for you.' He said with a nod and I smiled. 'It might take a while though.'

'It's okay.' I said, managing to draw my eyes away from Aaron who was suddenly stood by my side.

'Why is the door broken?' Lola asked as I led her and Lexi away from the chaos and onto the sofa.

'The FBI had to break it so they could arrest the bad man.' I said, as Lexi wriggled into the crook of my arm.

'They can do that?'

'If they need to.' I said. I really didn't have enough energy to go into the ins and outs of FBI jurisdiction and protocol. 'What film will it be then? I think it's Lex's turn to pick,' I tapped Lexi on the nose.

'Mary Poppins.' she mumbled as Lola slid off the sofa and scanned through the shelf of DVDs. Lola had spent one afternoon organizing all the DVD's into alphabetical order so she had no problem picking with picking Mary Poppins off the shelf and sliding the disk into the TV.

'Ice cream can wait.' Lexi murmured in my ear as Lola snuggled down next to me and I smiled, feeling truly content for the first time that night.

I had no idea how much time passed as I sat on the sofa, slowly twirling Lexi's hair around my fingers. It was probably only a matter of minutes but as my body finally caught up with everything that happened this evening, it felt like years.

I tuned out every source of noise that wasn't the girls and didn't give a thought to anything that didn't involve Julie Andrews or Victorian London. It only struck me when a dribble of blood flowed into my mouth that my nose was still bleeding, my head was still pounding and despite my efforts to stop the bleeding, my arm wound was still losing blood.

'How about that ice cream?' I asked and the girls nodded. They seemed much calmer now but I still didn't want them to leave my sight. I could have died tonight and I didn't want to waste another second with them.

I weaved through the groups of FBI agents and police officers before reaching for a clump of tissues, clamping them over my nose. I caught my reflection in the metallic surface of the oven as I passed: my hair was a matted and tangled mess, I had flakes of blood dried around my nose and coating my lips and I had the shadow of a bruise beginning to emerge along my jaw.

It was certainly not the face I would want to present to anyone, never mind Aaron Hotchner.

But the events of the evening had changed me in some way. This was what it looked like when a serial killer broke into your home and you were forced to fight him off with a kitchen knife and a fork. It shouldn't matter what I looked like. I shouldn't feel self-conscious.

I wiped the dried blood away from my face with a damp tissue and then proceeded to reach for the first aid kit and, after cleaning the wound, tightly bound my arm in a bandage. The cut didn't look very deep and while it looked serious, I doubted it was anything worry about. I also took two Aspirins in an attempt to combat my so called 'head injury'

Need to see a medic my ass, Aaron Hotchner.

Although it had been nice to know that, even though he was only concerned about me because that was his job, he did still care.

As I gathered the bowls - three, because of course I was going to eat my fears in ice cream - mugs and spoons and braved the depths of the freezer to remove a carton of ice cream, I heard a cough behind me and turned to see Spencer leaning against the island with his hands in his pockets.

'Hey,' I greeted him, beginning to scoop out the ice cream. 'What's up?'

'I was just wondering whether you had any idea why Rudd would see you as the personification of wrath?' He asked, flipping open a notebook. He was going to record what I said?

'Do you want the punchline or the anecdote?' Spencer considered my words for a second.

'Anecdote.' I sighed, flexing my hands.

'I wasn't in a very good place, for a good couple of years. I was trying to get over the ending of my 11 year relationship and a load of other stuff. Tomas asked me out at the beginning of the year and basically declared his undying love for me while he was at it. I turned him down because I was just starting to feel better and act like myself again. But he took it to mean because I was still angry with him for dumping Kelly who had been his previous girlfriend.' Spencer nodded thoughtfully, scribbling down my words into his notebook.

'His life then took a downwards spiral and every bad thing that happened to him he blamed on me and my ability to not let things go and the fact that I harbor a lifelong hatred for every person that ever does me wrong.'

Suddenly, a incessant banging noise swarmed through the room and in my surprise, I smacked my arm onto the countertop as I scooped out some more ice cream.

'Shit.' I whispered under my breath as bright red blotches began to seep through the bandage. At the same time, I heard Lexi let out a wail and burrow her head down into the sofa.

I was torn. On one hand I would have run in an instant over to Lexi to comfort her. However, I must have hit a bad angle as my arm was now bleeding profusely and I was having to soak up the blood with the bandage.

Looking over my shoulder I saw JJ tear herself away from a group of police officers and storm over to the sofa, crouching down to Lexi's level and stroke her hair. At the same time Emily ended her phone call and also rushed over, sagging down onto the sofa and telling a joke causing a flicker of a smile to flash on Lola's face.

My heart fluttered right before I winced in pain. I'd been pressing just a tad too hard on the wound.

'It's alright, it's just the door being fixed.' I reassured them, looking over at Derek who shot me an apologetic look. Lexi still looked terrified even with JJ perched next to her, squeezing her shoulder.

'Doodle bug, it's okay.' I said warmly, smiling at her and increasing the pressure on the wound. Why couldn't it just stop bleeding? I was determined not to let Tomas disrupt my life any further. 'No one's going to hurt you, I promise.' Lexi still didn't look convinced and JJ shot me a strained look.

'Look, it's Jack's dad - ' I said, gesturing over to where Aaron was stood. He was talking to David but as soon as I mentioned him, his head shot up and his brows furrowed. 'You like him, don't you.' It wasn't just Lola who seemed infatuated with Jack and Aaron, Lexi talked non-stop about them as well.

'Wait a minute - ' Emily interrupted, a wicked smile playing on her lips, as she looked between me and Aaron. 'Do you two know each other?'

A moment of silence passed as Aaron's eyes locked with mine and he swallowed the lump in his throat. I felt myself blush slightly as our eyes met. 'Yeah, we know each other.' He said finally, ignoring Emily's expression of delight. 'Lola's in Jack's class at school.'

'And I sometimes have Jack over for tea.' I clarified, re-binding my arm in a bandage and making a mental note not to hit it with anything.

Emily, JJ, Derek and David now all had a small smirk on their faces as their eyes all met across the room. I felt a sense of needing to defend the situation - that it was perfectly understandable for me to cook for one of my children's friends - but this need fizzled out as I saw Aaron roll his eyes at something David was whispering to him. He pulled himself up to his full height and after David winked at him, strode away to talk to some police officers who had emerged from the utility room.

As he crossed the room, his eyes slid to mine and looked at me in a way that he hadn't before. His expression was soft and I knew that I should look away - our eyes had been locked for more time that was probably socially acceptable but I just couldn't pull away. I was filled with something fiery and warm and I thought back to my feelings earlier that I'd simply put down to my dizziness and merciless headache.

Hearing David emit a small chuckle, which he hastily covered with a cough, I forced myself to look away and reminded myself that there were more people in the room than just me and Aaron.

I knew that I liked him. I'd known that from day one. And I knew that I found him attractive; I began listing all of his most handsome attributes if anyone begged to differ.

But, until this evening, I had never been filled with a feeling of warmth whenever we locked eyes. Yes, I'd thought about him and admittedly dreamed about him once or twice but that had simply been a manifestation of my crush on him, right?

I didn't feel anything more for him, did I? And he didn't feel anything more for me, did he?

\- Thanks for reading! Any thoughts?


	31. Triginta

I breathed in the warming aroma of the hot chocolate and eyed my ice-cream creation - one scoop of vanilla, one scoop of chocolate and one scoop of strawberry all topped with flakes of grated chocolate - and almost began to salivate. My brush with death had awakened my appetite for sweet things and I figured if I couldn't indulge now, then when could I?

I took the girls mugs in my hands and precariously weaved through the groups of police officers that were swarming my home. Many of them were armed with cameras and I guessed that they were taking pictures that would later build to Tomas's conviction in Court.

Now that sounded strange. Tomas was going to go to prison. And St. Addison's could now brag that one of their heart surgeons had turned out to be a murdering maniac.

'Here you go - ' I said softly, passing the girls the mugs filled with hot chocolate and topped with whipped cream. I noticed that Lexi's eyes were still red and blood-shot and Lola was being strangely quiet despite Emily cracking jokes every other minute.

'Where's the ice cream?' Lexi murmured looking up at me and I smirked. No one could ever terrify her into submission, at least not fully.

'It's coming right up, Miss Harmon.' I said teasingly and she giggled. The sound alone made me feel happier and I scurried back to the kitchen to retrieve the bowls of ice cream. I saw Lola's eyes light up as I passed her her bowl and she eagerly began eating, meeting Emily's eye as she told her latest joke.

'Do you want a coffee? Or...something?' I asked and I saw Emily's eyes grow wide.

'I would die for a coffee.' She exclaimed and I looked over at JJ who was biting her lip.

'Only if it's not any trouble. I don't want you hurting yourself.' She said and I smiled, leaning over the back of the sofa and kissing Lexi's head.

'I don't think we should let Emily have a whole pot so you have to have one to stop her destroying the world on her caffeine rampage.' I said in a mock whisper with a grin on my face.

'Hey!' Emily protested and JJ raised an eyebrow. 'What? I'm fine with caffeine!' From the way JJ was rolling her eyes, I gathered that there were some interesting stories involving Emily and excessive amounts of caffeine.

'Are you going to be offering Hotch any?' Emily asked, her voice sickeningly sweet and JJ shot her a conspiratorial glance. I paused for a moment, looking between Emily and JJ.

'I'll be offering your team coffee first and then I'll ask the officers so yes, that will include Agent Hotchner.' I said sarcastically, wondering why Emily was zoning in on me and Aaron? Was it so unusual that we knew each other?

'Ooh, Agent Hotchner.' Emily repeated, smacking her lips and JJ smirked.

'Okay, what is happening?' I said, holding my hands up. 'Yes, I know Aaron. I bumped into him at the supermarket, he's asked me some questions at work and I've looked after Jack once. Why is that so scandalous?'

'Is that it?' JJ asked pointedly, and I thought for a moment.

'He and David came here to ask me some questions too. Does that satisfy you?' Emily shot JJ a smirk.

'A personal home visit. Not everyone gets those - ' Emily teased and I bit my lip. I had been too focused on the girls and the cookies to pay much attention to Aaron that night, but I guess that two FBI agents showing up at your home to inform you of some case developments wasn't exactly normal. But they had just wanted me to answer some questions because Claire Harper had been another patient of mine.

'Why are you asking me all these questions?' I said exasperatedly, running a hand through my tangled hair. My head ache had dulled down a little but my sides still ached and I really just wanted to sleep. 'Is there something going on between you and him?'

I studied Emily's face as I said this. She'd been quick to defend him when I'd started ranting at him but I didn't know whether that was because the team was tightly knit or whether she felt something deeper for him. Her eyes grew to the size of plates and JJ let out a snort.

'Yes, there is somethin going on between me and him.' She said seriously. 'He's my boss. There are all kinds of rules and regulations that goes against.'

'I'm sure you could find a way around them.' I mumbled quietly, wondering if there really was something going on between Emily and Aaron. If Emily really did have feelings for him, or if Aaron had feelings for her, then that would quell any romantic feelings or thoughts I had towards him.

'No. There's absolutely nothing between me and Aaron.' I nodded at her words, as she looked me straight in the eyes.

'Being Profilers means that we know pretty much everything about everyone's social lives. And as far as we know, he's not seeing anyone at the minute.' JJ explained, her eyes gleaming.

My heart soared a little at the fact that Aaron was currently seeing anyone and the fact that I could continue admiring his hair and remembering every single second that his hands were touching me without feeling guilty because he was in fact, seeing someone else.

JJ and Emily grinned at my silence and I would have said something, if my name wasn't suddenly called.

'Yeah?'

'Have you got any wood?' Derek had been busily attaching my door back onto its hinges for the last ten minutes and I had to say that he was pretty handy hammer. He didn't exactly strike me as the DIY type but I certainly couldn't complain.

'Wood? Why?' I asked, stepping towards him and knowing full well that my hot chocolate was now probably just plain chocolate.

'To board your broken window up.' He said, gesturing out into the hallway. I'd forgotten that I was now a window less because it had been shattered on Tomas' entry. 'There'll be someone round tomorrow to fix it, but boarding it up should work for now.'

I racked my brains. I really wasn't the DIY type so didn't really have a lot of material lying around. Unless...

'There's a shed round the back. It's mainly full of junk but there might be some wood in there.' I said and Derek nodded, before swinging open my now functional front door and disappearing outside with Spencer in tow.

The kids were completely immersed in the ice cream and chocolatey goodness as well as the film to pay much attention to all of the people bustling around and I was glad about that. While Lexi had seemed the most shaken up at first, it was clear the whole event was leaving a more lasting effect on Lola.

I had felt a surge of pride when I'd seen her cuddling Lexi earlier but now I realised that because she was older and could understand what was happening a little more, maybe it scared her more too. She had been the one to pick up on Aimee and my Mom's conversation and even now, when she was eating ice cream and enjoying a film she didn't seem to be entirely the same.

'I'll get your coffee.' I said, ignoring the smirks on their faces and returning to the kitchen. I took a sip of my hot chocolate and mercifully, it was still bordering on the warm side. I rattled through the cupboards, pushing past the tea cups and champagne glasses to my mug collection and found two that I thought would be suitable.

I rarely used my coffee machine but I eventually had a stream of deep brown liquid trickling into the first mug. As I waited I marveled how ice cream could make everything better, relishing in the rich, cooling sensation on my tongue.

Almost everything. I was not looking forward to seeing my impressive set of bruises tomorrow.

Subconsciously, my eyes had begun to search the room for something. JJ and Emily were reclining on the couch, rather enjoying Mary Poppins. Derek and Spencer were rooting through the shed for pieces of wood. I could see David through the kitchen window, talking into a phone. My heart sank.

I was looking for Aaron.

Perhaps he was investigating the broken window in the utility room that had captivated a small group of officers? Or perhaps he too was outside, having a phone call with an important FBI agent or following whatever procedure needed to be followed when a murderer was arrested.

All I knew was that I was thinking about him. And searching for him.

'You weren't joking when you said it was full of junk!' Derek's voice cut through my dreaming and snapped me back to reality.

He and Spencer had entered the house looking considerably sweatier and Spencer's hair was now even more disheveled, but they were now armed with chunks of dark wood.

'And none of it is mine.' I said ruefully. 'It all belongs to my parents.'

'And why are you housing it?'

'Their house is small as it is but they can't bring themselves to throw any of it away. They brought it with them when they moved here, and they can't bear to part with them now.'

'I'm pretty sure I saw a headless china doll.' Spencer sighed, running a hand through his hair and I smirked. I didn't doubt it.

'Where did they move from?' Derek asked. I was pretty sure this was the longest conversation we'd ever had and I couldn't believe that when I'd first met him I'd thought he was sullen. I didn't know why he was asking me all these questions, but I was happy to answer.

'Oklahoma.'

'You're from the South?' Spencer exclaimed loudly and I unconsciously smiled. Derek and Spencer were both staring at me with open mouths.

'Yeah. Can't y'all tell?' I had lived in Virginia for 14 years so my accent had worn away a little but I still though it was fairly recognisable.

Derek smirked. 'I can when you say that.'

'Did you like living in Oklahoma?' I narrowed my eyes at Spencer and paused a moment. I knew that the Southern states didn't have a particularly good reputation with Northerners and even I didn't agree with all of their laws, but I was still surprised at his forwardness. Spencer had come across to me a little shy.

'Yes, I did.' I said defensively. 'There's always a 75% chance of getting a blizzard, tornado and earthquake in the same week, the seasons are made up and the forecast doesn't matter. ' Derek let out a chuckle and I turned to him.

'What, Mr. Chicagoan? Yes, I know your accent.' I said to his shocked expression. 'Oklahoma is amazing. Was your birth state the basis for one of the best musicals of all time? Wait, don't answer that...' I stuttered, feeling myself blush. That really hadn't been the best line.

An awkward pause drifted between us. Neither Derek or Spencer answered - they didn't even get the line. 'Are you fixing my window?' This pushed them back into action and they disappeared into the hall, just as Aaron emerged.

I quickly took hold of JJ and Emily's coffee's and walked past him, feeling his eyes on me. JJ and Emily were both smirking at me and I rolled my eyes.

'We got the joke.' Emily explained and I smirked. At least someone did. 'Chicago?'

'And all that jazz.' I confirmed, slumping down in the middle of the girls and feeling them cuddle into my sides.

* * *  
Over the next ten minutes, I was completely reminded why I had loved Mary Poppins as a child. Not only did it have songs and the Suffragettes, but I really did love English accents.

I was completely oblivious to the time was passing until Lexi let out a yawn. Glancing at the clock, I realised it was 9:47. And while this wasn't extraordinarily late, it was for the girls and even I was beginning to feel the effects of the day weighing down on me.

I had hardly slept the night before and now my short stint as a ninja had truly exhausted me. I was almost dizzy with fatigue. But I could hardly disappear to bed while the FBI and police were still collecting evidence and doing whatever they needed to do.

Could I?

And I knew that the girls were going to sleep in my bed tonight. Even if they told me they were okay, I suspected their overactive minds might turn tonight into a horrific nightmare and I wanted to be right next to them when it did. Even if that meant being woken up at 3 in the morning with them crawling under my covers.

'What are you two doing? We're supposed to be working, not having a coffee morning!' Titling my head back, I saw a very irked David looming over us. David seemed like the second in command under Aaron and if it were me, I wouldn't want to irritate him. JJ and Emily, however, weren't fazed.

'I'm liaising with the family.' JJ said with a smile.

'And I'm supporting the victims.' David rolled his eyes and I smirked, but the word 'victim' stuck in me like a knife. I was a victim of attempted murder. And that made my skin crawl. And my blood freeze.

Victim.

Clearing my throat I stood, collecting the empty bowls and mugs and took them over to the kitchen. JJ and Emily muttered a thank you but I didn't respond. That word was still running through me, coursing through my veins and clouding my brain.

Victim.

Victim.

'You okay?' I startled to see that Emily and JJ had left their comfortable spots on the sofa and were now stood in front of me, kind expressions on their faces.

I nodded, my eyes glancing behind to them to David, Aaron, Derek and Spencer who were also staring at me. I hadn't even see that Derek and Spencer had finished repairing the window or that a large majority of the police officers and their cars had vanished.

Everything seemed silent all of a sudden.

I nodded again. I was fine. Thanks to everyone in this room.

'I want to thank you guys.' I stuttered, meeting the eye of each agent in turn but my eyes wavering on Aaron for the longest. 'I don't want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't called you.'

'You don't have to thank us.' David said kindly but I shook my head.

'I know it's your job but I do. If I hadn't have called you, I would be dead right now.' There was no other way around it. 'And I'm not and it's because of you guys.'

'You did manage to hold him off.' JJ beamed and I rolled my eyes but felt a small flicker of pride.

'Yeah, with a fork.' I said with a sharp look.

'Actually, a table fork can be quite dangerous if used correctly.' Spencer inputted.

'To eat with?' I prompted and everyone let out a chuckle and Derek patted Spencer on the back. My eyes were drawn to Aaron who was smiling and my heart was filled with a sudden warmth.

'But really. I might be able to sleep tonight and not spend my days wondering that I'm going to be killed. So thank you.'

I gave each agent a smile, my heart racing as I landed on Aaron, and then quickly turned away to place the mugs and bowls as well as some other assorted pots and pans in the dishwasher. Behind me, I heard David ushering all of them outside as they needed to talk about something - everyone apart from Aaron.

I tried not to stare at him as I busied myself around the kitchen, returning the life saving fork to the cutlery drawer. But aside from the girls and myself, he was the only person in the room and it was difficult not to listen to every single movement he made.

He was stood near the door, his hands clasped in front of him and his feet softly tapping on the floor. He'd become such a familiar figure in my life over the past week and a bit and even though we hadn't talked much at all, I felt like I knew everything about him. But I still wanted to know more.

His eyes suddenly flickered up to meet mine and I quickly lowered my gaze, becoming deeply intrigued by a floor tile. My palms were sweating as neatly folded a tea towel and my ears pricked up as I heard his footsteps on the wooden floor. My heart was racing. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I allowed myself to look up for a second and I nearly fainted when I saw that he was stood about three meters in front of me.

'Hey,' I said shyly, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. My stomach was churning. We'd never stood this close before. I could clearly make out the gold swirling in his dark pupils and the scent that I hadn't realised belonged to him - it was fresh and clean but distinctively masculine with something deeper and intoxicating.

'Hey.' He replied, an equally shy smile creeping onto his face. Whenever his eyes met mine, my stomach churned and I thought I was going to be sick.

Maybe it was better he hadn't met my eye at work because then I might have actually fainted.

'I was wondering if you had any plans at the weekend?' For a moment, I forgot what words were and how to form them. My senses had completely latched onto his scent and his deep voice and the gentle look in his eyes.

'Oh. I - Well - The girls have their swimming lesson on Saturday at 11. And then we're going shopping. But apart from that and explaining to my mom that she doesn't have to text me every morning to make sure I'm still alive, I'm free.'

Aaron cleared his throat, the air growing tentative and dense and I realised that I had been fiddling with my necklace the entire time we'd been talking. I ran a hand through my hair, my eyes flickering over Aaron's strong features. I couldn't even think why he was asking me out my weekend plans. The air had suddenly become too thick to breathe.

'Would you like me to pick Jack up again on Thursday?' I asked, noticing the silence that was buzzing around us. Aaron hadn't said anything and his eyes kept flicking between myself and the floor. He seemed stunned by my words at first before he returned to his senses.

'Yes. Yes - That would be great. I feel better knowing that he's here rather than on his own with a babysitter all the time.' I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.

I couldn't wait until Thursday now. That meant Jack was coming for tea, meaning that Aaron would be picking him up.

Aaron opened his mouth to say something before closing it and opening again. I sucked in a breath, reminding my lungs how to work despite the bruises lining my ribs.

'MOMMY! You're missing the best bit!'

'Huh?' My eyes were forced away from Aaron's to wear Lexi was jumping on the sofa and pointing at the TV. It was indeed one of my favourite songs in Mary Poppins and both the girls knew it.

'Right. The best bit. Coming, doodle bug - ' I said with a smile, before meeting Aaron's gaze again. His brows were furrowed a little.

'Duty calls.' I said hesitantly, causing him to smile a little. Slowly, I drew away from him and forced myself to remember how to put one foot in the front of the other as I walked over to the girls.

FEATURED SONGS:  
Julie Andrews - Feed The Birds (Tuppence A Bag)

\- How about that guys? What do you think?


	32. Triginta Unus

I watched the credits roll up the screen and the continuous cycle of words before my eyes was almost enough to send me to sleep. On my right, Lexi was curled up against my arm and she was snoring softly. On my left, Lola's feet were pressed against me as she lay down with a blanket draped over her and her eyes struggling to stay open.

I was glad that after everything that had happened tonight, they hadn't been left too scarred. Although I was still anticipating the midnight wake-up call of at least one of them tapping me awake to tell me that they had a nightmare.

The adrenaline of the evening had fully dispersed now, leaving nothing but sheer exhaustion. My nose had finally stopped bleeding and my palms had stopped stinging and the wound on my arm had stopped dying the bandages scarlet. In fact the only remnants of the night at all was the pain along my ribs and the dull thud in my head, but I was unsure whether this was because of my injury or just tiredness.

I honestly could have fallen asleep then and there but Emily and JJ's presence on the couch reminded me that I still had a few FBI agents milling around doing who knows what. I'd tried to pay attention to the procedures that had been being carried out but after Derek had fixed my door and window, I'd drifted off a little.

David and a few police officers had asked me a few questions earlier: how exactly I knew Tomas and what my previous interactions with him had been like, what exactly he'd said and done when he entered my house and if I had at any moment feared for my life.

I had.

I prayed that the FBI were almost done with their enquiries, even though I knew it was important for everything to be carried out and processed correctly in order for Tomas to end up in jail for the rest of his life. And possibly even death row. Whatever my personal opinion on death row, I knew that Tomas needed to face the consequences for what he'd done.

And what he tried to do.

Determined to keep myself awake, I slowly rose to my feet and scooped Lexi into my arms. I often forgot that she wasn't a baby anymore and was in fact a 6 year old, meaning I couldn't casually pick her up anymore. But I couldn't leave her sleeping on the couch.

Carefully securing one arm under her head and the other under her knees, I threw her blanket over my shoulder and grabbed her teddy bear in my arm.

'I'll just take her to bed.' I whispered to JJ and she nodded. Emily looked like she was on the brink of sleeping too, despite the coffee she'd eagerly absorbed less than an hour ago. Lola didn't stir from her position as I left the room and I knew that she was probably minutes away from drifting off.

As silently and as gently as I could, I carried Lexi up the stairs and into bed. My sides were still grumbling every time I moved but I was trying to ignore them. There would be nothing I could do for the bruising; I'd just have to grin and bear it and hope for them to clear up quickly.

I pressed a gently kiss to Lexi's head as I tucked her in, positioning her teddy bear under her arm and making sure her blanket was covering her. She looked so serene as she slept, her blonde hair circling her head like a halo.

I crept out of her room, leaving the door open a fraction, and padded down the stairs. Lola's eyes were flickering and I watched her suppress a yawn.  She caught me watching her and gave me a tired smile.

'Come on, Loles.' I took her hand as she pushed herself to her feet, taking her blanket in one hand and her teddy bear in the other.

'Can you carry me?' She asked with a smile as I led her out of the room and I rolled my eyes, giving her a stern look that resulted in her giggling.

'I don't think so.' We ascended the stairs, an unspoken wish between us to be as silent as possible so not to wake Lexi. I flicked the light on in her room, the golden light half blinding me.

'The FBI will be going soon.' I said, perching on the edge of the bed as Lola settled down. I draped the blanket over her and gave her head a kiss. 'And I'm very proud of you, you know, for looking after Lex.' I brushed some of the hair from her face as she smiled.

'She's not so bad really.' I smirked at this. Lola and Lexi hadn't gotten on very well when they both were little. Lola had been very quiet and conscientious whereas Lexi had been much louder and a little bit of a troublemaker.

'I know. And she really does love you.' I stood from the bed and smoothed out the duvet. 'I'll be downstairs or in my room if you need me, okay?' Lola nodded and I kissed her head again before turning out her light. 'Night night.' I brought the door closed and let out a breath.

Just a few more minutes and then I could sleep.

As I returned to the main room, I noticed that there were now that the only people in the house alongside myself and the kids were the FBI. And they would be easier to shepherd  out so I could sleep.

I slid the DVD disk out from the TV and returned it to it's box, the very motion seeming to drain me of energy. I was not one of those people who could survive off 6 hours sleep.

'Come on you two, we're making tracks.' I turned around at David's voice, watching JJ and Emily stand but it didn't really resonate with me that they were leaving. 'Let's leave these good people in peace.'

Yes please. Peace sounded heavenly.

'Thank you, again.' I stuttered, as the agents seemed to swarm for all directions. From the look of the sink, they had been making use of my offer of coffee.

'It's our job, Lizzy.' Emily reminded me and I nodded. I knew it was their job but it seemed so much more than that.

'I know. But you saved my life. And probably the girls lives as well. And I'll be eternally grateful for that.' I made sure to give each member of the team a smile of gratitude and forced myself to tear my eyes away from Aaron's - they seemed so warm and comforting and sincere.

I unlocked the door and swung it open, surprised to see that it was working as good as new. 'Thank you for the door.' I met Derek's eyes with a smile and he shrugged. 'No problem. There should be someone around tomorrow to fix your window. And if there's not, give me a call.'

'Thank you.' I said to him with a smile. 'And thank you Dr. Reid.' I turned to Spencer who colored a little and awkwardly shuffled on the spot. 'What, is Dr. Reid too formal?' I teased and Spencer smirked, following Derek out of the door.

'Bye.' He called and I nodded.

Next it was Emily and JJ. They both engulfed me in a hug but were careful not to squeeze me too hard - a skill that Penelope had still yet to learn.

'We need to meet up again sometime. Have a fun day out somewhere. And bring Garcia.'

'Definitely.' I agreed, feeling a flush of warmth. I hadn't realised how close I'd grown to JJ and Emily and the prospect of a shopping trip with them and Pen was certainly something that I was looking forward to. 'I'd love that.'

'We'll get back to you on a date. Time off can be hard to come by - ' JJ said with a smirk, shooting a look at Aaron - as though the reason time off was hard to come by was because Aaron was such a strict boss and not because of the nature of their job - before they hurried out the door. Aaron subtly rolled his eyes.

'It was a pleasure to meet you.' David said, taking my hand as well as kissing me on the cheek. He too smelled faintly of cologne but I definitely preferred the scent of Aaron's.

'You too.' I said with a nod and a smile, the nerves already building up in my stomach as David gave my hand a squeeze and pulled away. Next it was Aaron.

How was I going to keep myself together?

Before I could register what was happening, David had slipped out the door and Aaron was stood in front of me. My arms were folded almost defensively and I let them slip to my sides as I forced myself to meet his gaze, knowing the flutters that would consume me when I did.

'I'll see you on Thursday, then.' I said, my voice sounding more confident and assured then I really felt. I saw Aaron startle but then he covered it up with a nod.

'Yes. Thursday.'

'Your team had quite a few things to say about me looking after Jack.' I said teasingly and Aaron sighed, looking out through the open door and onto the street where the team were arguing about something.

'Yeah, they need someone to pick on every now and then.' He said ruefully, running a hand through his hair and my breath caught in my throat at this motion. I wanted to do that. 'Sorry...'

'It's alright. I'm guessing that person is usually you?' I raised an eyebrow, watching a smirk appear on his face. He looked down at his shoes, his gaze flickering between me and the floor. I figured this was a good thing because if we'd had direct eye contact, I may have fainted straight into his arms.

'I'll get out of your way then.' Aaron said finally, moving past me and I swallowed hard as his arm brushed against me. 'And I still think you should see a medic.'

'I am a medic.' I said firmly. 'And I'm fine. I'll take another Aspirin and go to bed. Then, I'll have to try and get up in the morning without moaning about the bruises.' I said smirking and Aaron nodded, his fingers tapping against his leg.

'If you need anything, you can always give me a call.' My heart stopped at his words. Did this mean he wanted to speak to me again? That I hadn't actually been imagining things? That perhaps he even felt the same way I did?

No. That was ridiculous.

I opened my mouth to speak but no noise came out. I was paralyzed with shock and excitement and anxiety.

'Good night then,' Before I knew it, he was slowly walking back down the path towards the street. His words were still ringing in my ears. I could give him a call.

My eyes followed Aaron down the path and as he reached the end of the garden, I swore I saw him slow down and begin to turn back towards me. He was going to come back and say something. What was he going to say?

Well, he was going to say something until Derek stuck his head of the SUV and shouted loud enough for the entire street to hear. 'Some of us want to go home, you know!'

Aaron doubled his pace and almost fell out onto the street, his hand raising in my direction but his eyes didn't follow it. He was giving me a wave, that meant something, right?

But the post man gave me a wave and I certainly didn't have any romantic feelings for him. He was old enough to be my father.

I pushed down the disappointment and waved back as I saw Emily and JJ frantically waving in my direction. The SUV did an almost perfect turn and was then off down the street, obscured by shadows and out of my sight.

Sighing, I shut the door as quietly as I could and locked it. Leaning against it, I let out a small sigh. Did Aaron really feel the same way? Did he feel anything at all? Had it just been my mind imagining things in the hopes that they were real? I didn't know. I needed to sleep on it.

As I began turning the downstairs lights off, I realised the heavy feeling inside of me was disappointment and regret. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be seeing Aaron on a regular basis anymore.

But why couldn't it be regular? Perhaps I would offer to look after Jack every Thursday.

I also heavily regretted that I hadn't just spat the words out and got over my nerves and apprehensions and just asked whether he felt anything at all for me. Now I'd have to wait 48 hours before I could ask again because I wanted to do it face to face. And in those 48 hours, my mind may have backed my body out of it.

But I had to remind myself of what had been accomplished that night. The killer had been caught. Tomas had been caught. He wasn't going to hurt anyone else. And if anything had come out my meeting with the BAU, it was that that was the most important thing.

It definitely wasn't the unlikely crush I'd formed on Aaron which now had turned into something deeper and more serious in my mind. I was almost certain that my feelings would manifest into nothing substantial because Aaron definitely didn't feel that way about me, did he?

\- Any comments?


	33. Triginta Duo

By 6pm on Thursday evening, I'd come to a decision. I was going to ask Aaron out for dinner. I'd been toying with the idea for the last day and a half and I'd finally bullied myself into it. There was absolutely no harm in asking him if he would like have some food with me at the weekend and this time, I was determined to get the words out instead of freezing up.

That said, just because I'd told myself I was going to ask him out didn't mean I wasn't wracked with nerves and doubt.

I'd picked Jack up from school along with the girls and as it had been pouring with rain for most of the afternoon and the garden was saturated, we'd decided to have an all-out Monopoly war. And while I had considered myself to be fairly good at budgeting and knew that I had the advantage over 3 children, Lola had somehow ended up the winner.

And this made me very anxious to double check my finances.

The kids were now, after a dinner of my successfully baked sweet potato cottage pie, settled down in front of the TV with a portion of fruit salad each and the opening titles of Toy Story 2 rolling across the screen. I did like the film but personally thought it could have been improved with the addition of song. But then, pretty much any film could be.

I was perched on a bar stool, still dressed in the navy pencil dress that I'd worn to work that day, as I waited for my mother's voice to reappear on the other end of the phone.

Aimee and Joe had had their Hairspray auditions earlier today and, as I'd predicted, they'd absolutely smashed them. Consequently, Aimee had taken the main role of Tracey and Joe, despite being offered the main role of Link, had taken the role of Corny Collins. The show was only starting in November but, of course, my mother had already pre-booked a shedload of tickets and was currently searching her diary for the dates she'd bought tickets from because she wanted the whole family to go together.

My father wasn't all that bothered about musicals and if Aimee and Joe hadn't been staring in the show, there was no way that he ever would have been persuaded to go otherwise.

'I'm back!' My mother shrieked and I jumped away from my phone, her voice suddenly startling me. 'The dates I got are for opening night, which is the 4th, the 16th, the 22nd, the 28th, and the 30th of November which is the final show.'

'Really? Dad's not going to go with you to all of those.' I said, flicking through my own diary to see what days the dates were. The majority of the dates were during the week, which I knew would be impossible for me.

'I know. I'm going to pass them around the church. And Elsie has already promised she'll come with me at least twice. Although, I think that's just so she can ogle at Steve. You know, he's the organist at church but he plays the piano for all the performances.'

I rolled my eyes, having heard many tales about Elsie and her dating exploits. She was 64 and had never been married, but had had her fair share of suitors in the past. According to my mother she'd been madly in love with every single one of them so why she hadn't popped the question to at least one of them was beyond me.

'Right, I can do the 22nd of November because that's a Saturday. And I can do closing night as well because that's a Saturday too.' I scribbled a note down in my diary and drew a bold line underneath it, clearly marking the date.

'Great. I'll make sure your father's not gallivanting off anywhere those days and we'll be set.' I could hardly contain my own excitement at the prospect of seeing my two siblings appear in one of my favourite ever musicals and I couldn't resist the smile that slipped onto my face as I gazed over at the kids who were busily swapping items of fruit from their bowls. 'Anything exciting happen today? Anymore serial killers in the department?'

My mom could be seriously sarcastic at times and it always hit me unexpectedly. 'No, there's no more serial killers Mom. And I think that every day is exciting.' I said with a smirk.

'Suit yourself.'

'I'm looking after Jack tonight.'

'Oh, is that Lola's new friend? How is he?' I'd already briefly told my mother about Jack and how happy I was that he seemed to get on really well with the girls. I may have also alluded to my romantic attachment to Jack's father.

'He's been as good as gold.' I said with an endearing smile towards Jack. 'I'm just happy that he enjoys himself. He must get pretty lonely staying with neighbors or having a baby sitter all the time.' I knew that Aaron didn't have many options and couldn't fling Jack at a friend's parent whenever he had to dash off on a case.

'I dare say. And I'm sure his father is very grateful. He might be able to get you some favors.' I didn't like where this conversation was going.'

'Mom...'

'What? I didn't say anything! It's just a good thing to have some more links in the FBI. And babysitting a Supervisory Special Agent's son must be able to get you somewhere.'

I could just imagine the knowing smile that she was proudly wearing at this moment in time but every mention of Aaron's name made my heart skip a beat and my throat dry to a crisp.

I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't. What if he said no? What if he didn't feel the same? I'd die from embarrassment...

No. No, I wouldn't. I'd just calmly accept that he didn't think of me in that way and move on. I wasn't going to die or become homeless or contract malaria. Nothing bad was going to happen.

Apart from reliving the conversation in my head every single minute for the rest of the year. Or -

A sharp knock on the door suddenly threw me out of my ramblings and I quickly looked up at the clock. 6:15.

It was Aaron. I knew it before I even opened the door. It seemed I'd subconsciously memorized how he knocked on people's doors.

'Mom, I've got to go, Aaron's here.' I said quickly, jumping up from my seat. I had no idea what my mom had been talking about for the last few minutes and just prayed it hadn't been anything life-changing.

'Ooh, speak of the devil. He sure does know how to make an entrance, doesn't he?' My mother teased as I took in a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. I was going to ask him. I was.

I unlocked the door, my fingers almost fumbling over the lock, and a wide smile slipped onto my face as Aaron stood mere meters in front of my face.

He looked exactly the same as always. His dark hair was neatly styled; his suit was tailored but relaxed. He was wearing a long, navy blue coat, the collar pulled up against the chill, and I instantly wondered if Penelope had let slip about my attraction to men who wore long coats.

But how would that have come up in conversation?

There was something slightly unusual about his presence though. He seemed nervous, really nervous and Aaron being nervous was something completely peculiar and foreign to me that I almost couldn't comprehend it. And it was different to his behavior in the hospital which I'd still yet to understand. Then he'd still seemed professional and had some control over his behavior. Here, I could almost see his hands shaking but I didn't know whether that was because of the cold.

'Lizzy? Are you still there?' I realised that my mother's voice was still ringing in my ears and it pulled me out of my half trance. I stepped aside to allow Aaron to enter.

I was going to ask him out to dinner even if it killed me.

'Yes Mom, we know you're hilarious.' I said, trying to capture the lightness and breeziness back into my voice. 'Sorry about this,' I whispered to him, stretching up to meet his height. He was slightly taller than me but he still seemed to tower over my frame.

'It's alright. At least I'm on time this time.' He joked and I rolled my eyes, feeling a warmth spread across my body. I didn't know what it was about Aaron being light-hearted and humorous that made me feel weak but I did. And I liked the feeling.

'I told you not to stress about that.' I reprimanded, making him smile. The moment was interrupted by Jack who ran over to him, clutching his leg, and the girls who leaned over the back of the sofa and eagerly started answering his questions about their day.

'Are you going to go on a date with him?'

'I don't know, maybe - ' I stammered but inside my head I was screaming 'YES'. I had to. If I didn't I would be ever wondering what could have happened between us if only I had asked him. I stood, almost transfixed, as Jack excitedly told Aaron about the games they'd played at lunchtime.

'Well, I'm sure he's very nice.' My mom confirmed. 'And like I said, it's always good to be tight with another FBI agent. I'll bet he travels to lots of exotic places. And he's bound to be a hit with the ladies so I'd be sure to stake your claim sooner rather than later, love - ' I didn't think I had a 'claim' on Aaron in the slightest, but knew my mother was probably right. I'm sure Aaron met lots of strong and intelligent women in his job.

'He's not James Bond!' I teased, smirking at the very idea of Aaron being in a casino with a martini in his hand. I saw Aaron freeze slightly, his jaw tense, before the moment passed and he was back to his relaxed self, joking with the kids. What was that?

'I know that, I'm just saying...'

'Just saying what?'

'He's probably very good in bed, you know...' I felt like my eyes were about to bulge out of my head and had to turn my back to completely avoid Aaron seeing my thunderstruck expression.

'How ever did you get to that conclusion?' I pressed, my voice extremely high-pitched and feeling my stomach grow taut. I hadn't even been on a single date with him yet - how my mother thought I was considering having sex with him was something I'd never understood. And yes, I'd thought about kissing him and running my hands through his hair but that was as far as my fantasies had gone.

At the moment...

People do say that men mirror their work lives in their sex lives though, and seeing that Aaron was so dominant and commanding...

No. I was not going to think about that right now...

'I'm leaving now if you're going to get weird...'

'I'm always weird, love. I'll see you tomorrow and I expect a full update about Mr. FBI - ' I rolled my eyes at my mother's teasing and ended the call. I listened to Lexi's ramblings and allowed my self a few moments of almost peace.

I really was just putting off the inevitable.

'Jack's been a little star.' I said, stepping forwards to ruffle a hand through Jack's hair that was so much lighter than Aaron's.

'That's what I like to hear.' He chuckled, giving Jack a thumbs up.

'We had a very competitive game of Monopoly - '

'I won!' Lola interrupted with a cheer.

'I think it was staged.' Jack deadpanned and I snorted, quickly turning it into a laugh. I could feel Aaron's gaze resting on me but I didn't allow myself to look at him. If I did, I would surely lose my courage.

'How are your bruises?' The same concern I'd seen on the night Tomas had attacked me grazed his face and I felt a lump grow in my throat.

'I swear you're more concerned about them than I am.' I teased, swallowing my anxiety, watching Aaron stare awkwardly at something behind me and keep the blush from rising on his cheeks. 'But they seem to be healing. Thank you.'

'Good.' We were both silent for a moment and I got the impression that we were both trying to listen to what Lola was saying but weren't taking any of it in.

'Lizzy? Can I - ahem - speak to you for a moment?' The air suddenly grew denser and heavier and I was sure that the oxygen had been pumped from the room, making it impossible to breathe. I swallowed.

'Sure. Umm - ' I stepped backwards a few meters, out of the kids immediate earshot and Aaron followed me after detaching Jack from his leg. 'Do you want a drink or something?' I felt sure that something was going to happen. And if it didn't, I was going to make it happen.

Aaron paused for a few moments before shaking his head. 'No, I'm okay, thank you. I was just wondering,' He took a deep breath before continuing, 'I was wondering if you'd made any plans for the weekend yet. Aside from the swimming.'

I shook my head, folding my arms and then dropping them to my sides. 'I'm still free. Aside from the swimming.' His eyes pierced into mine and I didn't dare look away. When I asked him, I was going to ask him with direct eye contact. When I asked him I - 

I spat out an incoherent sentence, my words smothered by my nerves, just as Aaron spoke a few words. We both fell into silence, the hilarity of the situation dawning on us as we both broke out into smiles and I felt myself blush, noticing a slightly burst of colour on Aaron's cheeks too. He shuffled awkwardly and I realised I was twirling a lock of hair around my finger.

'Go on - ' I prompted him, my heart soaring because I was going to save myself the embarrassment. But if I didn't ask, I'd never know...

'No, you can go first.' I was almost shaking with nerves but I knew I just needed to say it. Nothing would happen if he said no. And if he said yes, well, then I might just faint from excitement...

'I - I think...' My words jumbled together and I cursed myself. I wouldn't allow this unfamiliar shyness to control my typically confident personality. 'I think we were going to say the same thing. At least, I hope we were.'

I was immediately put off by Aaron's answer - silence - and how he didn't seem to react and I began back-tracking. I was thinking up my apologies and my excuses and I couldn't meet his eyes, his eyes that I had somehow come to love, because then his rejection would have become too much for me to bear.

'Would you like go to for dinner with me on Saturday?' The uncertainty in his tone almost terrified me because it was just so unlike Aaron to be nervous but from the look in his eyes, I knew that he was completely sincere.

I didn't react. I allowed his words to sink into my skin and into my brain. Aaron's eyes shifted uncertainly and I felt a small surge of happiness that Aaron had gotten so anxious and twisted over asking me out. If only he knew the full extent of my own nervousness.

'I'd love to go to dinner with you.' I said finally, finding my voice among the bundle of happiness that was exploding in the pit of my stomach. I saw Aaron's face brighten as mine did, and his back straightened as though my answer alone built him up.

'I'll pick you up at 7?' I nodded, the small detail of time just cementing that this was actually happening. This being a date with Aaron Hotchner, a prospect that I had imagined about in a hundred different scenarios but had never actually envisioned happening.

'That means that you two are having a sleepover at Grandmas on Saturday.' I called, clearing my throat and forcing my eyes away from Aaron's and onto the kids who had settled onto the sofa and were watching the film. I'd have plenty of time to stare at Aaron on Saturday.

Lola's face remained neutral but Lexi's face crumpled in disappointment. 'But I have to share a room!' She complained loudly and I gave her a sympathetic look. I knew how annoying it could be to have to share a room with someone when you didn't want to.

'I know, doodle bug. But you know Auntie Aimee and Uncle Joe are saving up for a house. They're very expensive. And I'm sure you can manage it for one night. You can sleep here tomorrow night and then have a sleepover on Saturday. How about that?' Lexi moodily ignored me and turned back to the film, her bottom lip sticking out and her brows furrowing.

I shared an amused look with Aaron, a spark re-igniting inside of me.

'Where are you going?' Lola asked and I suppressed the smile that I knew was going to consume my face with sheer happiness.

'I'm going out for a meal.' I said, sneaking a look to Aaron and saw he was wearing the same joyous expression I wore.

'On your own?'

'No. I'm going with Jack's dad.' I saw Lola's eyes narrow as she looked between myself and Aaron.

'Why?'

'Because we're friends. I can go out for dinner with a friend, can't I?' Lola smiled and nodded. I certainly didn't feel this way about any of my other friends but I didn't want to overcomplicate anything at the minute.

'Go on, buddy. Get your shoes on.' Aaron said and Jack hurried off into the hall, where he knew his shoes would be waiting.

I turned to Aaron, a wide smile still devouring his face. I lowered my voice a little, stepping close so he would be able to hear me and feeling a thrill as I did so. 'I don't want them to start thinking things or get the wrong idea. Not when we're not even sure what this is yet. I hope that's okay.' Aaron nodded fervently.

'No, that's okay. I understand completely.' And I knew that he really did. And that filled me with more joy than his words ever could.

-Yay! What did you think?


	34. Triginta Tres

Sure, I'd been on dates before. I might not have been on one for at least 6 months - although if you could classify that as a date I didn't know - but I wasn't a complete stranger to the notion.

That said, I didn't remember feeling this apprehensive or nervously sick before. Maybe that was testament to the fact that the previous guys I'd been on a date with had turned out to be pricks or had had some troubled past that they'd conveniently forgotten to mention. Or maybe that was just because the possibly of having some form of romantic relationship with Aaron was now actually feasible, rather than just a distant illusion.

As long as this date went well.

I'd dropped the girls off at my parents house around 30 minutes ago and was now agitatedly pacing around the living room, twirling my necklace between my fingers. Aaron had given me no hints as to what restaurant we were going to so I'd simply dressed in an outfit that was dressy but that I also felt comfortable wearing.

That outfit consisted of a long purple floral skirt, a sleeveless black sweater and my favourite pair of blush pink heels. My hair was loose, its natural waves tamed slightly, and my make-up was neutral, aside for some plum lipstick. I was going as myself, not some painted version.

Despite only telling my mother, Kelly and Penelope that I had a date tonight it seemed that now everyone remotely involved in my life was aware of it. Even Carrie, Jess and Nathan had wished me luck tonight. Why they were still having a 'band practice' at 6:25 on a Saturday evening was beyond me, but I hadn't questioned it.

And even though I had mentioned I was going on a date, I'd hadn't specifically said it was with Aaron. I knew that my mother would undoubtedly have sussed this out and told everyone but I hoped Penelope in particular would be kept in the dark for a little while. Not that I had anything against her knowing I was on a date but I figured that Aaron might like to keep her in the dark for now, considering they worked together.

A wise decision, really, because if I knew anything about Pen she would tease him relentlessly about it and then relay all the details back to me for analysis.

As the time struck 7, someone knocked on the door. It was loud enough to be noticed but not shockingly so. Aaron. Of course, he would time his arrival down to the second.

I hurried over to the door, my breath suddenly hitching in my throat and my stomach furiously churning. I gave one look in the mirror. My face was flushed and my lips pinched. It was just Aaron. I had absolutely nothing to worry about. I just needed to be myself.

And not to fall flat on my face.

I swung open the door with my fingers fumbling over the lock, the abnormally warm September breeze kissing my face, and almost melted and was sick simultaneously.

This was real. This was actually happening. And the look Aaron was giving me was turning my insides to mush.

Aaron looked the same, but subtly different, to how he always did. He was wearing an all black suit - it wasn't too different from his work suit - that fitted him perfectly and I assumed must be bespoke. As per usual, his hair was perfectly combed and his whole appearance exuded something so dashing and handsome that I wasn't sure I could handle it.

And then there was the look in his eyes.

It was a look that I thought I'd seen him wear before but, thinking about it, I had. The soft, gentle look in his eyes had graced his face on more than one occasion recently and it was to safe to say that that expression did things to me that I didn't think anyone ever could.

'Hey.' I realised I'd been stood in silence for several moments and Aaron was looking at me curiously. I quickly regained my composure, flashing Aaron a smile and cursing myself. I was not going to mess this up for myself.

'Hi.' I replied, my hands fidgeting in front of me. I realised that Aaron was holding one hand behind his back and my expression must have changed because his gaze shyly left mine.

'These are for you.' He explained, bringing a beautiful bouquet of pink peonies out from behind his back. I felt my mouth open in surprise before curling into a smile. I could feel the blush warming my cheeks as Aaron took in my reaction.

'Thank you. They're gorgeous.' I said, taking the bouquet from him and feeling a rush as our hands touched slightly in the exchange. Peonies were my favourite flowers. Had that just been a lucky guess? It had to have been.

'I'll just put them in some water.' I stuttered, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the fact he had actually bought me flowers. No man had ever bought me flowers before. I turned to leave before realising that Aaron was still standing on the front step. 'Come in. Please - ' I insisted before dashing off into the kitchen, my heels echoing on the wooden floor as Aaron slowly padded inside.

I wrenched open a cupboard and grabbed the first thing I saw - a large measuring jug. I carefully released the flowers from the layers of plastic encasing them, shooting an eye over my shoulder to Aaron who was examining some of the photographs that lay on various surfaces around the room.

After releasing the flowers from their bindings, I positioned them all inside the measuring jug and filled it half full with water. I would arrange them in a vase later.

After my date with Aaron.

I threw the patterned plastic into the trash, taking a couple of steady breaths as I did so. I didn't know what it was about receiving a bunch of flowers that filled me with such warmth and joy. Not that I ever had before.

'I'll just get my coat.' Aaron was examining a photo on the fireplace that was from when we'd taken the girls to Disney World. It probably hadn't been the best idea as Lexi had only been 3 at the time but I liked to think that everyone had had a good time.

The coat I'd picked for the evening, a Burberry trench I'd owned for at least 5 years, was hanging on the coat rack in the hall and I tucked it under my arm. It was still light outside and the day had been abnormally warm. I was only bringing it as a safety precaution. I didn't want the date to be dampened by the rain.

I slung my plain Chanel clutch bag over my shoulder - which had been another birthday present to myself a few years ago - and quickly re-entered the living room. Aaron was now gazing on a photo of me and Aimee at her high school graduation 6 years ago where Aimee was beaming and I was crying with pride.

'You ready?' Aaron asked, as soon as he heard my heels cease moving. I nodded and he smiled, jarring my heart into skipping a beat.

'So where are we going?' I teased, as I switched off the lights and followed Aaron out. He held the door open for me which caused an awkward shuffling when I had to edge around him to lock the front door.

'That would ruin the surprise.' He joked back and I smirked, returning the keys to my purse. I half expected Aaron to drive his FBI SUV constantly but in fact his car was an ordinary, if impeccably kept, black sedan. He must have seen me eyeing his car because he then spoke.

'I thought we could walk, if that's okay with you?' I nodded. My legs might be feeling weak and unstable but I certainly wasn't going to object to any of his plans. And anyway, if I fainted I could get Aaron to help me and that might just induce dizziness all over again. 'It's not far.'

'Ooh, a clue.' Aaron was walking on the far side of the pavement which was closest to the road and I was overly conscious of the fact that our arms were centimetres away from touching. 'How do you know that I'm not allergic to wherever we're going?' I pondered.

'You're not. I checked.'

'How did you check without asking me?' I pushed, forcing a smile onto Aaron's face as I looked over at him.

'I asked...someone.'

'Who?' There were only two people that Aaron had access to that could possibly know that kind of information. I picked the most obvious one. 'You asked Penelope what I'm allergic to?' I giggled at the thought and Aaron nodded.

'And luckily, where we're going, I don't think you're going to get stung by a wasp.' So he had done his research. I wasn't seriously allergic or anything; it just caused the sting site to turn red and become seriously itchy.

'That's good to know.' I confirmed. 'And I didn't tell anyone who I was going on a date with, if you're wondering.' I knew that Pen's reaction must have been something to behold when she pegged that her boss was going on a date with her best friend but it was Aaron's reaction that halted me.

'Why? Are you embarrassed?' He said it jokingly but I could see that he really meant what he was saying. Why, Lizzy? Why would you possibly say such a thing?

'No! No, not in the slightest.' I said strongly, my eyes not leaving Aaron's for a second. I wouldn't continue this date with him thinking I was embarrassed to be with him. 'I just thought that you might want to keep your work and personal life separate.' Aaron nodded, swallowing hard. Did he really think that I was embarrassed about him? 'And now Pen's going to tease you mercilessly, you know that?' I smirked, wanting to keep the conversation light. Aaron chuckled softly and nodded.

'I know. But I don't mind.'

'At the moment.'

'Yeah. We'll see how long it lasts.' How long it lasts? So Aaron wanted this to go on longer than just tonight, whatever 'this' was? That made my heart swell inside my chest. He really did feel something towards me. It hadn't all been an illusion.

'How's Jack?' I asked after a few moments of comfortable silence between us. We'd reached the end of the street and Aaron indicated for us to take a left. If my ability to remember places was holding up, then the closest restaurant in this direction was a fairly posh Italian place and probably my idea of heaven.

That made me feel very excited.

Aaron's face lit up as soon as I mentioned Jack and it was clear to see how much he loved his son. That said, I knew that whenever I talked about Lola and Lexi I brightened up considerably.

'He's good. Thursdays are his second favourite day now, you know? He loves spending time with you. And Lola and Lexi, obviously.' I beamed at this news.

'What's his favourite day?' I asked curiously.

'Sundays. I make sure that I'm not working and we go for a kick about in the park. And sometimes get an ice cream - ' His lips quirked into a smile as he said this and I remembered the Sunday afternoon in which we'd met in the park and my crush on him had begun to develop.

'I know.' I said with a grin and Aaron laughed. It was a real laugh, not just a smirk or a hint of amusement. And that made my heart soar. We walked in silence for a few minutes more and I noticed that we were still walking in the direction of the Italian restaurant that I'd heard was really good but never actually stepped foot inside.

'David's looking after him tonight actually.' Aaron said eventually, and my eyebrows shot up.

'Really?'

'Yeah. He doesn't do it very often but the neighbours are busy and I couldn't get his usual childminder and Jessica - that's his aunt - ' He explained as I opened my mouth to ask who Jessica was. 'She's on vacation at the minute. And you - ' He paused for a moment, as his eyes met mine. 'Well, you're here.'

'Yes I am.' I confirmed with a smile. I was. I was there. With Aaron. On a date. An actual date...

'It was actually Dave who bullied me into doing this. Not this - ' He quickly corrected, as my eyes widened slightly and he started to blush, 'but he's the one who gave me the idea of where to take you.'

'Ah.' I said, a smirk sliding onto my face. 'So is it appropriately...Italian?' Aaron did a double-take and for a moment looked slightly disappointed before he too smirked.

'Maybe...' He murmured quietly, an amused look on his face. 'And he also bullied me into wearing this. Dave and Jack that is. I thought I looked like an undertaker but...' I smirked at the idea of David and Jack giving Aaron fashion advice.

'No, you don't look like an undertaker.' I promised, feeling my cheeks warm a little as I took in his appearance again. If all undertakers looked like he did, I was sure burial rates would dramatically increase.

'Is Penelope really going to tease me about going on a date with you?' Aaron asked thoughtfully after a moment of hesitation.

'Yes. You should be very afraid.' I joked, smirking. Penelope shared my inquisitive and somewhat nosy nature and we loved asking questions about other people's lives. Aaron groaned slightly.

'They ask enough questions about my love life as it is.' He complained, shooting me a sideways glance and I smirked. 'They make bets on whether I'm seeing anyone. Dave and Morgan are always dropping comments. And Reid quotes the statistics of widowed men dating again on an almost daily basis.'

My mind didn't lock onto the image of David and Derek teasing him about his personal affairs - in fact, it didn't even register. What did was that word. The word that gave me a completely new perspective on the man walking next to me and what he'd gone through.

Widowed.

I froze, my muscles stilling in shock, my mind not sure how to react. I could physically see Aaron's mind backtracking, tracing back through his words to find the source of my sudden disturbance. He'd said the word so casually, as if he'd almost forgotten what it meant.

I'd known that Aaron had once been married but I had not known how things had ended; I had simply assumed they had divorced. I'd had no idea that his wife had died, leaving Aaron a widow and Jack motherless.

Oh Jack. I suddenly felt all the more protective of him.

'I am so, so sorry, Aaron.' I said slowly, struggling to find the right words to express my feelings. There was so much I wanted to say but at the same time, I knew nothing I said would help. 'I can't imagine what that must have been like.'

Neither of us spoke for a moment and I saw a wave of sadness pass over Aaron's face, his face blanching. I wanted to say something to make him smile again, to forget this moment of sorrow, but I didn't want to simply pass over this moment. His wife deserved his thought and my time and I wanted him to move on from this moment on his own terms.

'So your husband - ' He trailed off, his voice soft, and his eyes peering over at me. I shook my head, wishing I had some stronger words to comfort him with.

'I kicked him out. And he was never my husband. We were only engaged. Not that that made it any easier but - ' Aaron nodded, his eyes wide and sincere.

The air had grown thick and heavy. I pulled my coat closer to my chest and tried to digest this news. Aaron had lost his wife. Jack had lost his mother. And yet they both still seemed so...alive.

'Here we are then - ' Aaron's voice threw me off and I looked up to see we'd reached the end of a street. Up ahead, the lights glittering in the dusky sunlight, was the Italian restaurant I'd heard so many things about. 'Dave says it's very nice. So we can blame him if anything goes wrong.'

'Nothing is going to go wrong.' I said firmly, determined to restore the light and teasing mood we'd established only minutes ago. 'And if an Italian says that a restaurant does good Italian food, then I'm not going to argue with him.'

\- One more chapter to go guys! Or is it?


	35. Triginta Quattour

Aaron held the door open for me, gesturing for me to pass. I smiled my thanks and stepped out into the chilly night air, leaving the soothing warmth of the restaurant. Feeling the bite of the wind and knowing that passing out from hypothermia would not be a good look, I slid my arms into my coat and pulled it around myself. The pasta and crème brûlée that I'd consumed weighed heavy in my stomach and I was now glad for the short walk home as it would give me chance to work off my dinner.

And to spend more time with Aaron. Because the last hour and a half had just not been long enough.

We'd talked about basically every single subject under the sun: politics, kids, work, sport, films, music, food. He'd asked me questions about my family - the majority of which he'd seen from the photographs in my living room - and I'd asked about his - I'd learned he had a younger brother, Sean, and Jessica, who was his wife Haley's sister, and that was basically it, aside from Jack.

I'd told him about my dancing background and my musical obsession and hundreds of amusing tales of mine and Penelope's adventures over the years - skipping over the more risqué ones. In turn, he'd told me about his double life as Jack's soccer coach, aided by David of course, as well as countless stories about his travels with the team and the hilarities that had ensued.

Everything had been amazing and my feelings towards him had definitely developed over the course of the evening into something that I had to physically restrain from bursting out of me.

I was also slowly converting him to be a desert fanatic like myself, after admitting that he wasn't really 'a desert person'. We'd see about that.

Then, after everything, he'd insisted on paying. I'd put my foot down and swore that he didn't have to do that. I was well aware of the fact that a gynecologist was a very well paid job and I hated the thought of someone spending money on me that they could be spending on themselves or their family or their home.

But, Aaron had insisted. And after I'd repaid him for the ice-creams in the park, I'd realised that this, as well as him opening every door we came across and ushering me through it, was appealing to the hopelessly romantic side of me. A side that hadn't really been activated for quite some time.

Another side of me that hadn't been activated for a while was my alcoholic side. I'd had three glasses of red wine along with Aaron and was feeling suitably flushed.

'Well, you can tell David that his recommendation was excellent.' I said, as we slowly began the walk back to my house. Aaron smiled, his eyes glittering the way they had been doing all evening.

'Yes, it was nice, wasn't it?'

'It was very nice.' I confirmed, 'Thank you.' Aaron flushed a little as I thanked him and I felt a small spark of success shoot through me.

We walked in silence for a few moments and I could feel Aaron's eyes on me. I'd noticed this a few times this evening - whenever we hadn't been talking, his eyes would still be focusing on me, searching for something.

I could almost feel the profiler in him leaching out into the air.

'What do you see? When you look at me, what do you see?' I folded my arms in an attempt to conserve warmth and tucked a lock of hair that had been dislodged by the wind behind my ear.

'What do you mean?' He asked, a look of confusion crossing his face.

'You're a profiler. Profile me. You've been doing it all evening and I dare say, since we first met.' I said it teasingly, knowing he was going to serve the truth up to me on a silver platter. 'I want to know where it's got you.' Aaron paused for a moment, clearing his throat.

'I know that you avoid talking about your emotions because you want to appear strong and stable to the people around you. That comes from you relying heavily on a few figures in your life as a child and you want to reflect that back onto your children. And because of a desire to be perfect, that probably stems from some form of bullying as a child. But because of this, not many people ever know how you truly feel.'

I didn't speak. He got that from knowing me for a week and a bit? It was almost shocking. It was 100% true but still slightly shocking.

'I know that you are very hard on yourself and have a strong desire to fix things that are out of your control in order to keep that stability in your life. This comes from an unstable home life as a child. You want to control parts of the world around you because you had no control back then.'

I felt my breath lightly hitch in my throat. I'd expected the truth. Not my entire life history.

'Do you want me to stop?' I could feel Aaron's eyes watching me, begging for me to say yes. I shook my head. He swallowed before continuing.

'I know that you know a lot of people but only have a small circle of trusted friends. You're fiercely protective of the people that you care about and like people to know that you're always there for them. That tells me you were quite a lonely child and you're trying to compensate for that now. I know that you want people to like you but don't want to be in the spotlight. You don't want to be talked about negatively which again suggests you were bullied as a child. That, to this day, you're searching for people's approval because you were made to feel like you were worthless. You're not argumentative and try to avoid conflict but you won't back down when you have something to say, even if people are telling you not to. I know that from several elevator trips,' He said, a small smirk playing on his face.

I let out a deep sigh and smirked. 'I knew you were stalking me.' I muttered, causing him to chuckle. 'Anything else?'

'There's always something else.' He confirmed with a nod.

'Go on then,' I prompted, biting my lip. Everything he'd said so far had been true. Aaron didn't talk for a moment, just held my gaze, his eyes searching for any sign of doubt. He was right at my want to be liked by people. And the reason why. I wasn't sure the word bullying even covered it.

'You avoid talking about your emotions so people don't realise how sensitive you are. You can take things too personally sometimes. You blame yourself for other people's actions. That tells me that sometimes your self-esteem isn't what you make it out to be. That despite your attempts to be friendly and warm and shrug everything off, some things to get to you. And you can hold onto that pain for years without letting go of it. You don't grieve or complain about it. You just keep it hidden because you don't want to be appear weak or as though you're letting anything get to you. That's why you don't like asking or accepting help from others. Because you're afraid of what happens when you let your emotions get the better of you.'

His words slid under my skin. He stopped speaking and I realised that, at some point during our walk, his hand had clasped mine. His palm was warm and calloused. His thumb was gently stroking my skin, sending a gentle heat across my hand and up my arm and across the rest of my body.

I drew my eyes away from the floor and met his gaze. He was biting his lip, as though he had a sentence waiting on his tongue but didn't want to say it. He had something to say but didn't want to push or force anything.

'And why's that?' I whispered, my voice barely more than a breath.

'Because the last time you let your emotions rule you, something happened. Something that you've probably never told anyone. But it still haunts you to this day.' My jaw began to quiver slightly. My eyes were stinging. I was biting my lip so hard I was sure I was going to draw blood. I closed my eyes, having seen the look of guilt in his eyes.

'I'm so sorry, I didn't mean, well I - ' He trailed off huskily and I shook my head, squeezing the tears from my eyes.

'It's okay. I told you to. I wanted to hear it.' I said, forcing my voice to remain even. 'At least I know the BAU know what they're talking about.'

'I got it right then?' He asked tentatively. I gave him a sharp look. We both knew he had gotten it spot on. As if he could ever get it wrong.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes, as my house came into view at the end of the street. I'd been so swept up in Aaron's words, I hadn't noticed how far we'd walked.

'I'm so sorry about Haley, Aaron.' I repeated, not knowing what to say to fill the silence but knowing I wanted to say something. Going into this date, I had had no idea that we would become so open to each other. It was refreshing.

He nodded. 'And I'm sorry about - ' He trailed off, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

'Clint.' I filled in the blank for him. The name felt strange in my tongue. I hadn't spoken it in over a year. The man who I'd dedicated 11 years of my life to. The man who had fathered my children.

'I'm sorry about Clint.' He repeated and I nodded. There was nothing else to say.

We walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, our hands still intertwined. At any other time, I would have been freaking out at this contact and would have been trying to memorize everything about the way our palms connected. But I was still healing from Aaron's words. I had asked him to speak them but that didn't mean their effect was any less.

Aaron followed me up the steps that led to my front door, his hand finally sliding from my own. My palm felt cold and empty without the contact and I instantly urged to feel it again.

'I had a wonderful time tonight.' I said truthfully, a smile curving onto my lips without even a thought. When I was stood on the steps and wearing my heels, I was still inches away from meeting Aaron's full height. 'Thank you.'

'It was no problem.' He said bashfully, his eyes shyly skirting the ground before shooting up back to my face. 'I'm just glad you had a good time.'

'I did.' I didn't feel like this covered it. I'd had an amazing time and despite his brutally honest words, I'd felt feelings that I'd forgotten I was capable of feeling. We'd conversed so easily and freely and my mouth was beginning to hurt from smiling so much.

Aaron slowly clasped one of my hands within his and then took the other. Despite the chilling breeze, his hands were still warm and I clutched at every hint of warmth I could find in his touch, my slender fingers slotting between his calloused ones. Our eyes didn't meet. They didn't need to. I could feel him watching me, gaging my reaction.

'Lizzy, my work it's - it's unpredictable.' He stuttered, his eyes flitting to mine. 'I can be off at a moments notice and disappear for a week before coming back for a few days and then I'm off again.' He shrugged sadly and I nodded. I understood this. But why was he telling me? Why was he unloading all of his baggage onto my porch step?

'I understand.'

'And I know I can be grumpy and miserable and I work too much and - ' His words were interrupted by a snort of my laughter and he chuckled, blushing slightly.

'I didn't get that impression at all.' I teased lightly, watching Aaron's eyes sparkle as he lightly squeezed my hands. I let out a breath. Aaron had had his turn and it was now mine.

'Lizzy - ' He started, but I silenced him with a look.

'I can get stroppy and bitter with my long hours and my seriously annoying bosses. And some days I might come home crying because I've had to tell a patient they have cancer or that they can't have children. Or that the guy who assaulted them isn't being charged and that they're still having nightmares about it. I can get very involved in their lives.' It was true. I loved my job but I was guilty of sometimes becoming very involved in patients lives almost to the point that they became a part of me.

'I understand.' Aaron replied, mirroring my response. That was the baggage that we carried with us as part of our lives. Our jobs could be troublesome and sometimes aggravating and overwhelming but we wouldn't change them for the world, despite the hassle they brought us.

'I think that we're both on the same page then,' I said softly, reveling in the feeling of Aaron caressing my palms with his own. Aaron nodded.

'I hope so.' Those three words disproved every single niggling thought I'd had about Aaron not feeling the same way I did. He felt exactly the same way I did. And I couldn't help the beaming smile from sliding onto my face.

'What page is that?' My words were no more than a breath, every nerve in my body tingling as the air grew thick and tentative. Aaron nervously cleared his throat, his eyes not leaving mine for a single second. I could feel the warmth of his breath lightly kissing my face as I shuffled forwards slightly, my arms brushing up against his own.

My eyes flickered down from his eyes to his lips as he did the same. Everything else around me was insignificant; the world could have been being invaded by aliens for all the notice I gave it. The only thing I was concentrated on was Aaron and the way he leaned forwards and lightly pressed his lips to mine in a single, nervous kiss.

Time seemed to momentarily jar to a halt. In reality, the kiss only lasted a matter of seconds but if felt like an eternity. As Aaron pulled away, I saw a look of uncertainty cross his face. I, on the other hand, was standing there like a lovesick fool, a wide smile plastered across my face. He took in my expression, the sparkle returning to his eyes, as I tried to calm my racing breath.

'Definitely on the same page,' He murmured, releasing my hands and gently holding my sides in a caring embrace.

If he was thinking about my bruises at this moment in time I was actually going to slap him...

I was trying to register everything that was happening but my heart was running into overdrive. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tickling the back of his head and lightly running through his hair. Goal achieved! And it was just as satisfying as I'd envisioned.

I leaned forwards, catching his lips in my own, feeling his hands tighten around me as one slipped around my back, the other resting on my waist. I gently ran my fingers through his hair, loving the feeling of his warm lips against my own. All of my senses blended together until I was mess; I was completely overwhelmed by the warmth radiating from his lips and his hands, the scent of his cologne, the bite of the wind and the churning in my stomach.

Slowly I pulled away, gasping slightly for breath as the exhilaration partly ebbed away. Aaron was flushed, his eyes sparkling, as a wide smile slipped onto his face, mirroring my own. Neither of us spoke for a moment, relishing being in the others company and reliving the sensations that had flooded my body only moments before.

'I think I'm speechless...' He muttered, and I chuckled, running my hands across his surprisingly muscular shoulders. I never wanted to leave this moment, my lips tingling from the kiss, my mind perfectly content in his presence.

'Are you doing anything tomorrow?' I mumbled, trying to find my voice and almost laughing at the vibrations that rumbled through my throat. Maybe the kiss had left me a little more breathless than I'd thought. Aaron shook his head.

'I know that you probably want to spend it with Jack, considering that Sundays are 'your day' but - ' I rambled on, my words catching over each other, 'I was thinking, only if you wanted to, we could meet for lunch somewhere. And bring the kids because they get on really well and yeah - ' I trailed off, noticing how breathy my voice was.

Aaron smirked a little and nodded, his hands tracing patterns along my waist. 'Yeah, I'd like that. And I'm sure Jack would too. He really likes you.' I beamed at his words. If we were going to make this relationship work, then I needed Jack to like me.  

'And this time, I'll pick where we go and pay for it and buy you flowers - ' Aaron cut me off with a laugh which broke me out into laughter as well.

'Okay, enough talking - ' He pressed mischievously, cutting off my words. I raised an eyebrow.

'Ooh, Mr. Assertive.' I teased, resulting in another smirk from him.

He captured my lips in another kiss filled with warmth and sweetness and as the cold swirled around us, the first drops of rain beginning to fall, my mind completely cleared of the danger and panic that had consumed me over the last two weeks.

There was no murderer out to get me or my friends. There was no need to check over my shoulder and live in constant fear. It was just me and Aaron and the girls and Jack and my friends and my family.

And that was perfect.


	36. Epilogus

And that is it, guys. That is the ending of part one. And I say part one because yes, there will be a part two. And perhaps even future parts. Yay!

Part Two will be being published later this year, around the end of summer, so keep up to date with this page if you want to know further details.

It will start three months after the end of part one and will catch up with Lizzy, Aaron and the rest of the characters to see how their relationships are faring as well as looking at the other aspects of Lizzy's life and discovering more about her background and personal history.

Part Two will be published on the **20th of August 2017**

Here's the link for Part Two: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11855304/chapters/26766075

And if you've any ideas for the next part, or if there's anything that you particularly want to see then make sure to comment.

In the interim, however, there will be another story of mine on the go. It will be another original story following a special SHIELD agent and her adventures involving Captain Steve Rogers. There will be music and mystery and, a very important theme, adorable dogs.

Here's the link for that story: [Kindly Calm Me Down](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10096139/chapters/22488554)

The first couple of chapters will be published on the **5th of March 2017** and I hope you enjoy that.

And, because I get so obsessed with the worlds that I write in, I've made character aesthetics for every major character in this world as well as story aesthetics for this part and the second part which you can check out on my Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/abi_cxx/story-aesthetics/). If you'd like to see me do any other characters, or any other themes featured in the story, then be sure to let me know as I'll definitely be doing more over the coming weeks.

That only leaves me to say thank you so, so much to every single person who has read this story. I've loved writing it and fueling my Criminal Minds obsession and I can't wait to continue writing more in this world.

Make sure to check out the playlist which includes all the featured songs from this part as well as song inspiration for me for future parts: open.spotify.com/user/abicxx/playlist/77vKl2TAgLlocN1XWX6Cs4

I love you guys so much and I can't thank you enough for investing your time into reading this. It means the world to me!


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